


To Want

by winged-obsessor (canticle)



Series: To Know [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-09
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canticle/pseuds/winged-obsessor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blue wants Red, but can't and won't admit it, even to himself. Will Red be able to unfreeze Blue's heart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written between 2010-2014; Chapters 1-6 were written in 2010, 7-9 in 2011, and 10-12 in 2014. I'm uploading this as it is and as it has been.

"HAAAH!"

Spin, dodge, duck, twist away, step back and strike- THWACK!

Blue stood panting in front of the practice dummy he'd set up, little more than a dead tree trunk with a spare pot over the top to represent a head, and gave a little noise of irritation when he saw the giant dent he'd made in it. Green would complain, and Vio would make some snarky comment, and Red… Red would just smile at him and offer to help bang it back out.

Red.

Growling, Blue grabbed his discarded tunic and used it to dab off the sweat running into his eyes. He wasn't going to think about Red. He was going to pick his sword up from where he left it and practice that new technique Green had come up with again. He was not, for any reason, going to think of the dreams he'd been having recently, dreams of Red. Dreams of himself and Red together. Dreams of them together… and … kissing. Dreams he never wanted to have again in his life, but secretly … enjoyed?

No.

Sweat forgotten, the teen attacked the dummy again, pounding out his confusion onto the helpless log. It didn't help that Red had been looking exceptionally adorable the past few days, not that he didn't always look adorable… wait, what? Blue attacked with even fiercer determination.

Blue had to be the tough one of the group, for the mere reason that it was irrevocably who he was. The "lesser" emotions and feelings, as he snidely referred to them as, had all been parceled out to the other three boys. Aside from his almost obsessive need to keep the area around him neat, all Blue had was his strength.

He didn't like Red. The smaller boy irritated the shit out of him. Every word, every action was filled with some sort of cheerfulness, of love and trust for the entire world, something Blue could never achieve. Red was something Blue could never achieve-

With a scream of rage at these thoughts, Blue swung his sword hard enough to drive it inches into the wood, and then become stuck. He immediately launched in and began pounding his fists into the log, right where he imagined Vio's smirking face to be if he ever found out what Blue was thinking. The purple-clothed boy always drove Blue insane. He was always taunting Blue, always wearing that stupid little grin on his face. The grin that Blue was punching off right now- Even that didn't help, the mental image of the purple teen remained no matter how long he hit the dummy. 

"STOP- MOCKING- ME!" He yelled, knocking the dummy off of its perch on another tree and straddling it, pounding repeatedly at the area of its "face," and his cries drew the attention of the other three boys, sitting a short distance away.

"What do you think he's doing now?" Green asked Vio, a little concerned. The other boy was sprawled indolently in the shade of a nearby oak, reading one of his ever-present books. He spared a brief glance upward at Green and shrugged, putting it off as nothing important. The gentler Red, however, scrambled up from where he had been sitting and peered over the hill they were on, down to where Blue practiced. Or, now, flailed away in blind hatred at the rotted log, which was slowly gaining a red tinge from where shards of wood had pierced Blue's knuckles.

"He's probably just yelling at birds or something," Vio finally drawled, closing his book and standing up to stretch before heading over to where Green had joined Red. The latter's eyes were scrunched up, squinting down at the scene below, and suddenly he gasped.

"Blue's bleeding!"

Vio looked over at Green, face suddenly serious. "What is he doing?"

Green was the one to shrug this time, already making his way down the gentle slope to the clearing filled with Blue's increasingly hoarse cries. "Blue. Blue, snap out of it. What are you doing?" He was ignored, and the blond continued to blindly pound the same spot on the tree, now liberally splotched with blood. 

Vio and Red weren't far behind, and Red gasped at the sight of Blue's hands and the tree. "Blue!" He cried out, and a sort of spasm went through the other. Then he resumed pounding the log with increased fervor, teeth bared and eyes wide. "Blue, stop!"

"This is ridiculous!" Vio muttered incredulously, more than a little worried, and went over to stand by Green. "Red, just…. Stay back there for a moment, okay?" The teen nodded, and Vio grabbed Green's arm. "What do we do? Pull him off? It looks like he's out of his mind."

"I think we should try- he'll destroy his hands at the rate he's going," Green said with a determined look. "I'll grab the left, you get the right." Vio nodded, and as they turned back toward Blue he finally paused, and looked up at them. His eyes were bloodshot and haunted, and there were a few flecks of blood on his unusually pale face. He was panting, sweat rolling down his cheeks and dotting the ruined wood below. "Blue?" Green said cautiously, taking a few slow steps forward. "Is… everything alright?"

Blue slowly shook his head, not in denial, but as if he was attempting to wake up. "I-" His voice cracked, and he tried again. "I…" His eyes locked on to Vio, who, not really knowing quite how to express himself, allowed his face to settle into his familiar trademark smirk.

That was a bad idea.

"YOU!" Blue roared, lunging at Vio, who, completely and utterly taken by surprise, flailed backward and fell over a large root. Blue would have been on him by then if he hadn't run into Green, who was now holding him back. "I'LL- I'LL SHOW YOU!"

Red rushed forward, grabbing Blue from behind and digging his heels in. "Blue, stop! Please!" His voice was high, filled with fear and worry.

"STOP MOCKING ME!" Blue howled, teeth bared as he struggled to get to Vio. His bloodied and bruised fingers curled into fists, he showed no sign of even noticing them.

"BLUE! What the HELL is your problem?!" Green gasped. It was incredible how strong Blue was- it was taking everything he and Red had to just hold him back. 

"I- HE- I-" Blue was nearly incoherent in his anger, and Green felt his foot slip back a notch. There was a sudden increase of pressure, and then-

Red was in front of him.

Red was holding Blue's face in both of his hands. 

Red was… saying something, but it was so hard to focus on the words when there, right there, Vio was standing, he had the opportunity to knock the smile off of the boy in the purple tunic once and for all-

"Blue."

Drawn back to Red's face, Red's lips were moving, he was saying something, why can't I understand what he's saying?

"It's alright, Blue."

_No, Red, it's not alright. Vio is mocking me, Vio is always mocking me, he's making fun of me because… because I…_

"Breathe, Blue."

_I am breathing. What a stupid thing to say._

"Deeper."

Blue unconsciously took a deeper breath… held it… let it out. His head drooped, still loosely cradled in Red's palms. Green tentatively let go of him, moving to stand back by the still-shocked Vio. The boy had bitten his lip during the entire escapade, and Red carefully used a corner of his undershirt to wipe away the line of blood at Blue's mouth. "There," the red-clad teen gave a gentle smile, smoothing Blue's bangs out of his face. Blue's hands slowly unclenched from their tight fists, and he gave a small gasp at the first sign of pain he'd felt. He brought one palm directly under his face so he wouldn't have to look up, which would mean looking at the others, looking at Red, who continued to cup his face in palms that still felt soft, even after hours upon hours of sword practice with Blue, Green and Vio…

Blue turned his hand over to look at the knuckles and backside. The flesh was torn, and numerous small splinters were lodged there still. His other hand received similar scrutiny, and was in similar shape. Blue jerked roughly away from Red, clenching his teeth at the longing to stay there, with the smaller boy's cool hands on his overheated face, just stand there forever _as Vio laughed in the background…_

No.

Turning, Blue set off in the general direction of the nearby river. He would clean up, try to make some sense out of the mess that was his hands, and then stay down there until he felt like he wouldn't vomit at the sight of any of the other three Links. He didn't want to know what they were thinking, or see any of the looks on their faces. Not even Red, whose hand had somehow slipped into his while he hadn't noticed and had gently tugged him to a halt and _was Vio snickering at them already??!_

"Let go, Red." Blue's voice was harsh and cold sounding. Good. It was better that way, better to let Red think he hated him then to let out the truth, the insufferable truth. 

"Blue, your hands…"

"I'll take care of them myself." 

"But-"

"Red, please," and Blue's voice was low enough that only the two of them could hear the slight wobble, the anxiety and fear and anger trying to push its way back past Blue's defenses. "I can't be around you right now. I can't be around anyone."

"Blue," and Red's voice was low as well, but Blue could still hear the worry, the comfort, the understanding… the love… that he showed everyone, not just Blue, so why was his heart beating faster and the world beginning to tilt a little before his eyes…

And then Red released him, and Blue was alone.

"Please come back before dark," the boy in red whispered, head bowed and hands clasped in front of him like an errant schoolboy. "We'll wait up for you."

The words were torn from Blue's throat without any volition of his own-

"I will."

And he strode off into the trees.


	2. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue broods. Red is helpful. Shadow is not.

His hands were numb. 

Blue stared silently at the offending appendages, now mostly clean but still with several splinters embedded in the knuckles. He attempted to pinch one between thumb and forefinger, but couldn't quite grasp it. He sighed. 

_At least they don't hurt as much anymore._

He dipped them back into the stream, letting the cool water flow over them for a while longer, and tried not to think about what had just happened. He wasn't sure himself about the chain of events that had ended when he'd come back to himself to feel Red's hands against his face. He remembered being angry… being very angry… but now he just felt drained. Empty. And surprisingly calm, calmer than he'd been in a long time. And it was all due to…

_Red._ Blue sighed tiredly, wiping his hands on his tunic, and stretched out on the ground beside the stream. How was it that the teen managed to slip past his defenses so quickly? Was it the eyes? They all shared the same eyes, he knew, but the soul inside those eyes made him feel like he could stare into them for hours. Was it his unstoppable sweetness? The way that he treated everything and everyone with smiles and laughter, while Blue faced life with his shield of anger?   
What was it?

The boy in the blue tunic rolled onto his back, carefully interlacing his numb fingers on his stomach as he pondered. Then he paused, catching on to the fact that he was pondering. This was new… Vio was usually the one pondering. Blue felt his lip curl up in a silent snarl as he recalled the teen's characteristic smirk. He was nearly the complete opposite of Blue, the boy realized. Calm and quiet and able to look at things rationally even through his anger, where Blue was the one to rush in without thinking. 

And now here he was, staring at the slowly darkening sky with new and confusing thoughts wafting through his mind. It was only when he realized that he could see stars through the treetops that he pushed himself off of the ground and made his way back to their campsite. 

The fire was already lit, and Green and Shadow were hovering over it, warming their hands. Vio was a little ways away, close enough to read his book by the light of the flames, and Red… where was Red? Blue's head unconsciously swiveled as he searched for the familiar red tunic, and he let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding when the teen emerged from the shadows with his Fire Rod, glowing with a faint light, clenched in his teeth, and two pots full of water. "There you are," Green said, turning to him. "Thought you'd gotten lost."

Red carefully set the pots by the fire and tucked the rod back into his belt loop, then said cheerfully "Nope! It was a little hard getting the water and balancing everything at the same time, sorry!" He glanced over in Blue's direction, and was he imagining it or did the smaller boy's face light up a little?

"Blue!"

Nope. Definitely wasn't imagining it.

The red-clad teen trotted over to him, looking content (as he always did) and it was all Blue could do to not turn around and run in the opposite direction. "You promised you'd be back before dark," Red pouted up at him. "We were worried about you," he added quietly, and Blue's face flushed a little. 

Shadow snickered. "Speak for yourself." He shot Blue an appraising look. "I will admit I'm curious, though. What were you doing?"

Blue glared at the dark teen. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it." He sighed, turning away from the flames, and ran his fingers unconsciously through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Red stiffen, and peered at him. "What?"

"Y-your hands…" Red paused as Blue glanced down at his other hand and winced as he saw it had started bleeding again. "Didn't you-"

"What's wrong?" Green had left his place by the fire and wandered over to where the other two stood. 

Red grabbed Blue's hands gently and tugged him closer to the firelight. "Why didn't you get the rest of the splinters out?" he asked quietly.

Blue pulled his hands roughly away from Red, face flushed with more than the heat of the fire. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" He spun around to walk away but Green grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Blue, we're all your friends here," the boy said seriously, forcing Blue to make eye contact. "We want to help."

"I don't need-"Blue angrily started, but cut off with a yelp as Red deftly teased a shard of wood out of his left hand. "Red!" The boy ignored him and moved on to the next. "Stop! That hurts!"

"Aww, the big tough Blue's afraid of a widdle pain?" Shadow snickered, red eyes glinting in the firelight.

"No!" Blue countered, trying to pull his hand away and failing. "It's just-" He whined a little as the next splinter was extracted.

"Why weren't you wearing your gauntlets?" Vio asked suddenly, turning a page.

"Huh?"

"Y'know, gauntlets? We all bought a pair in the last town because we were sick of our knuckles getting scraped up when we sparred?"

"I don't like them," Blue stated. "They're hot and stiff and make it hard to grip my sword."

"Well, they could have prevented this from happening…" The boy turned back to his book. "Idiot."

Blue snapped.

"That's IT! I don't have to put up with this… this constant SHIT I'm getting from you!" He roared at Vio. "I'm out of here!" He ripped his hands away from Red, which had the unfortunate side effect of tugging a sharp splinter all the way across the back of his hand and opening up a fine red line. He ignored the pain, however, and strode off into the woods again. Behind him, he could hear Green's annoyed voice, and Vio's uncaring one. He tried to pretend that he wasn't listening for Red's, but after he turned around once just to make sure he couldn't hear because he was facing forward, that reality was shot to pieces.

_Damn that Vio!_ The boy fumed, trudging through the moon-lit forest. _Why does he always have to be such a jerk?_ Something cracked behind him and he whirled, fists at the ready, but there was nothing there. His sense of caution returned to him, however, and he decided that it might be wiser to not be alone in the woods at night. Not wanting to return, however, he looked around for a suitable tree to climb- at least that way he wouldn't be caught off-guard on the ground.

"Blue!" A voice called from the trees, and in a flash he was up and in the second layer of tree limbs, heart pounding. _Red…_ "Blue, where are you?" A faint glow was coming from the trees below and Blue grit his teeth, irritated beyond belief. Didn't Red have enough sense to not wander around in the woods alone? "Blue, please," Red called again, and only now could he hear the slight tremor of fear in the youth's voice. It felt like a fist squeezed his heart as the boy passed under the tree where Blue lurked, and against his better judgment Blue leaned over his branch and said, "Go away, Red."

The boy cried out, jumping a good six inches into the air, and whipped his glowing Fire Rod around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Blue gave a tired chuckle. "I'm up here." After a moment the glow hit his face and he winced. "Ow, Red!"

"Sorry, sorry!" The other said hastily, stowing the rod away in his belt. "I… I brought you dinner, since you left…"

Blue sighed. "I'm not coming down there to get it." He stood up and hooked his arm over a higher branch, resuming his climb. After a moment, he heard scuffling sounds, and turned his head to see Red beginning the ascent as well. They climbed in silence for a while, until Blue reached the point where he wanted to stop- a sturdy branch wide enough for the two of them to comfortably sit on and not break. He could see the moon and stars from here as well.

He scooted further out onto the branch so Red could clamber up as well, but it was a couple moments before the red-clad body flopped its way up and over, a canteen banging at its side. "Graceful," Blue commented neutrally, watching as Red attempted to straighten himself onto the log. It was going well until-

Red's hand slipped and he began to topple over the side.

"Aah! Blue!!!"

Without another thought Blue lunged, grabbing fistfuls of tunic at Red's shoulders, and locking his legs around the branch so he wouldn't fall. Red's arms were flailing, and Blue grunted, "Grab my shoulders!" The boy managed to lock his arms around Blue's neck, and with some careful maneuvering the stronger boy eased them both back onto the branch. Both were panting heavily, adrenaline flowing through their veins. Red's back was pressed against the tree trunk and Blue's head was on his shoulder, tunic still loosely clenched in his hands. He could hear the other boy's frenzied heartbeat, could feel the pulse beating where his cheek brushed Red's neck, and when Red's arms tightened around his neck he didn't struggle, feeling the smaller boy's trembling. Besides, if he jerked back like he usually did, then he might go flying, and there was no way Red could catch him.

They sat for minutes in silence before Red's trembling and Blue's heart rate slowed. The red-clad boy was the first to break the silence. "You… saved me…"

"Didja think I wouldn't?" Blue growled, face still pressed into the hollow of Red's shoulder and neck.

"O-of course not!" Red exclaimed. "I-I mean, I knew you would, but, um… you've been mad at me lately…" 

Blue finally pulled away, his face tinged slightly pink. "It's not you I'm mad at," he murmured quietly, sliding backward along the branch to separate them.

"Then why-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Red." The boy in blue looked up at the moon. It was very full and coated everything in the forest with a silvery glow. It was… beautiful.

There was silence for a moment.

"Blue?"

"What?"

"Can I… will you let me bandage your hands for you?" Red asked tentatively. Blue shot a look at him from under his bangs- the boy had bandages tucked into his belt beside the Fire Rod.

Blue shrugged. "I … I guess so." He swung a leg over the branch to straddle it and faced Red, laying both hands out in front of him. The blue-clad teen turned his head back to look at the moon. After a moment, he could feel gentle tugging as Red began to remove the rest of the splinters from his knuckles. 

"You know you can talk to me if you need to, right, Blue?" Red's voice was soft as he began winding a bandage gently around Blue's hand.

"Red-" Blue paused, then sighed deeply, hanging his head. 

"Sometimes it feels good to just get stuff off your chest," the other continued, working on Blue's other hand. "I know that it helps me."

"But that's you, Red. You can do that. I can't." Blue's voice was gentler than he thought it would be. "That's just not who I am."

Red's fingers slipped in between his.

"We used to be one person, Blue. You can tell me anything." He could hear the smile in Red's voice, but for once this didn't irritate him.

"...." Blue stared at the moon again, his head slightly tilted, as if he was looking to it for guidance. "If … I did tell anyone, Red… It would be you…" He finally murmured, so low that Red almost didn't catch it. "Right now, I … I just can't…" His fingers unconsciously tightened a little around Red's.

"Whenever you're ready, then, I'll be here." Blue glanced over at the boy in red, flushing a little as Red looked him straight in the eyes. The moonlight shone off his skin and reflected back in his deep blue eyes… Blue couldn't hold his gaze and had to turn away.

"I know…"


	3. Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow and Vio chat. Blue continues to brood.

Vio had watched Blue storm off with an indifferent look on his face. "He's only upset because it's true," the boy grumbled, turning back to his book.

"Vio!" Surprisingly, it was Red who had crouched down and glared into his face. "That was mean. You know Blue takes things way too seriously!"

"Yeah," Green had chimed in, adding another piece of wood to the fire. "Now he's going to stomp around out there for Farore-knows-how-long, come back right before sunrise, and be all cranky and irritable for the rest of the day. Well, more cranky and irritable than usual…" 

"When he comes back, you should apologize," Red told Vio seriously. "He's had a bad day." Vio just rolled his eyes and turned away. Red huffed a sigh and stood, fetching his canteen and carefully ladling some of the still-warm soup from dinner into it. Screwing the cap onto it, he headed over to where they kept the emergency supplies and grabbed a few bandages, and then headed off in the direction that Blue had gone.

"Red?" Green had called after him. "Where are you going?"

"To find Blue…" the faint reply wafted back through the trees.

Everything was silent for about twenty minutes, before Shadow heaved himself off the ground and went over to where Vio was sitting, nudging him gently. "Firewood's low. Come get some with me."

Vio silently marked his page and laid the book gently on the ground, grabbing Shadow's proffered hand and standing. He shot a quick glance at Green, who was already in his bedroll and staring at the sky, then laced his fingers into Shadow's and allowed himself to be tugged into the darkness.

The two boys walked in a comfortable silence, until Shadow spotted a downed tree and pulled Vio over to it. Instead of breaking off branches to bring back to the campsite, however, he sat down and pulled Vio onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist. Vio flushed a little, especially when he felt Shadow's lips press against the side of his neck. "We never get any time to ourselves anymore," the shadow teen rumbled, grinning when he felt Vio's arms rise to drape around his shoulders.

"Yeah…" Vio rested his chin on top of Shadow's head and gave a deep sigh, relaxing into the other's embrace. "Kinda hard, when we're on a mission to save the world, and stuff…" he added sarcastically. They had defeated Vaati and Ganon months beforehand, and were now traveling from town to town helping to dispose of the leftover monsters. "If only Green wasn't so goddamned eager to get somewhere all the time…"

Shadow sniggered, then slid a hand up to Vio's blonde locks and pulled him down into a passionate but gentle kiss. Vio sighed as the darker teen's tongue swiped against his bottom lip and when it darted its way into his mouth he bit down lightly in a moment of playfulness. Shadow made a startled noise and Vio grinned, taking the opportunity to make a bid for dominance. He tightened his hold on the other boy and broke the kiss, nipping his way down Shadow's neck.

"You're feisty tonight," Shadow murmured, one hand stroking its way down Vio's back and back up again, the other arm wrapped around his waist. Vio paused in his assault, resting his head on Shadow's shoulder.

"…Am I a bad person?" Vio's voice was soft, and for a moment Shadow didn't even register the question.

"What?"

Vio pulled back, looking off into the woods. "I am pretty harsh on Blue sometimes. But I don't want him to hate me."

"Vio." Shadow gently took Vio's head in his hands and looked into his eyes. "Blue doesn't hate you. Although he may act like it sometimes. He's just an idiot. Let it go."

"You didn't see the way he looked at me today." The purple-clad boy shivered a little. "He looked like he could honestly have killed me then and there. I mean, I know I tease him a lot, but he usually understands why…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "If Red hadn't stopped him when he had, I honestly think-"

Shadow cut him off. "Red's the one that stopped him?"

Vio gave him a puzzled look. "Weren't you watching?"

"None of their shadows were in the right place." Shadow was disgruntled at this.

"Well, Red just grabbed Blue, made him look at him, and started speaking to him in a really low voice, and Blue just… backed down."

Shadow snickered. "That's not much of a surprise. It is Red, after all…"

"What do you mean by that?" Vio raised an eyebrow. Shadow looked incredulous.

"You mean you haven't noticed? But it's so frickin' obvious!"

"If I'm asking you, I obviously haven't noticed." Shadow let out a whoop of laughter, rocking back on the log and making Vio clutch at his shoulders. "Shadow!"

"I can't believe you haven't noticed yet!" Shadow wheezed, a huge grin on his face.

"Are you going to tell me?" Vio rolled his eyes.

"I don't know… this is a pretty priceless moment," Shadow grinned wickedly up at the other boy.

"Shadow…" Vio's tone was growing irritated. "What are you talking about?"

"Blue likes Red. Like, _like_ likes him." Shadow gave a final chuckle at Vio's shocked expression. "You honestly didn't notice?"

"No, Shadow, I didn't." Vio's brow furrowed as he pondered this over. Now that he actually thought about it, he had noticed flickers of something different… A gentler tone of voice, a look here and there…

"I honestly can't-"

"Shadow. Shut up. We're done with this subject."

"I think you're just bitter that you didn't notice it first."

"Shadow-"

"What?"

"Shut. Up."

"Make me."

"… Fine. I will." With a simple movement, Vio toppled both of them off of the log and onto the ground behind it.

~~~~

Red had been silent for a while. 

Blue glanced over at the other teen, curious, but rolled his eyes when he realized that Red had fallen asleep, curled against the tree trunk. Blue scooted over toward him, fully prepared to shake him awake, but stopped short. The moonlight filtering in through the leaves softly illuminated Red's skin, adding silvery highlights to the blond bangs poking out of his red cap. The growl that Blue had been summoning died in his throat, and he could do nothing but stare. Red's sleeping expression…

Blue used a slightly trembling hand to brush a few strands of hair out of Red's face, and when the boy sighed and shifted Blue nearly fell out of the tree, he jumped backward so fast. Heart pounding in his throat, he stared at Red, fists clenching in sheer anxiety. When Red made no further movements Blue relaxed a bit, unconsciously rubbing his fingertips over the bandages on his hands. This… had to end.

"R-" Blue's voice squeaked, and he coughed. "Red?" The boy didn't respond, and Blue worked up just enough courage to inch forward a little. "Red. Wake up." He congratulated himself on how authoritative his voice was.

"Hn?" Red's sleepy mumble undermined all of Blue's courage at once, and he scooched backwards rapidly. "Five more minutes…"

"No, Red," Blue growled from a safe distance. "Now. You can sleep once we're back at camp."

Red cracked an eye sleepily. "Blue?"

"Yeah." Blue's voice was unintentionally gruff. "Who did you think it was?"

"You." Red gave a charming smile. "I'm glad you didn't just climb down and leave me here."

Blue's face exploded into a blush, and he looked off to the side, thankful that he was sitting in a shadow caused by the branch above. "… Let's just get back to camp."

~~~~

To his dismay, Blue ended up carrying Red back to camp, seeing as the latter was too tired to walk straight. He was relieved to find that Green had fallen asleep already, and that Shadow and Vio were nowhere to be found. Red's arms were clasped tightly around his neck and although he would never admit it to ANYONE… Blue really… _really_ … liked it.

Although it would make setting the boy down tricky. 

Blue stood by Red's bedroll, on the opposite side of the fire from Green, and stared down at it, mentally running through all the ways he could get Red off. He finally settled on kneeling beside the sleeping bag and gently unwinding Red's arms. He held them out from his body for a moment before carefully ducking underneath one and wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders, lowering Red's body to the ground. The sleeping Link had a faint smile on his face, and Blue's breath hitched in his throat as he carefully moved away. It didn't seem right to just leave him uncovered, so Blue gently worked the covers up over Red's body and tucked them carefully around his chin. He knelt there for a couple moments, an almost wistful expression on his face, before moving to his own bedroll and laying down.

Unbeknownst to him, Shadow and Vio had seen the entire thing from the shelter of the trees. "Do you believe me now?" Shadow nudged Vio in the ribs.

"Yes, I believe you," Vio murmured, both eyebrows raised. "Although I never would have seen it coming… Anyway." He turned to the shadow teen and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Shadow." 

"Goodnight, Vio," Shadow watched the other boy's retreating form with a hint of disappointment. Oh well… there was always tomorrow night…

~~~~

They reached a river by noon of the next day, and decided to break for lunch on its shore. The water was crystal-clear and very cold, coming from the glacier melts of the nearby mountains, and it wasn't all that far past spring anyway. The weather had been unseasonably warm the past few days, but none of the five Links were complaining.

"Blue!" Red's voice echoed across the water. "Look! There's fish in this pool!" The other boy, who had propped his shield up at an angle and had his head in the shade it provided, shot Red an irritated look.

"So?"

"If we catch some, we can have them for lunch!" Red grinned.

"You do it. I'm not hungry." Blue rolled over so his back was to Red, and re-gathered his resolute air of "I'm ignoring you, so leave me alone" he'd adopted over the last few days.

"I'll help, Red," Green said, rolling his eyes at the lounging Blue. "I think that's a pretty good idea!" He went over to the pool as well, removing his boots and rolling up his leggings. "Too bad we don't have any fishing rods…" He muttered. "Oh, well. Might as well do it the good old-fashioned way!"

Vio was perched on a nearby overhang that jutted out over the river. "Try using a pot to scoop them up with!" He called down to Green, who replied with a thumbs-up and grabbed one. Blue listened to the splashing sounds and noises of frustration, and gritted his teeth.

And then the peaceful scene shattered.

A group of four Darknuts emerged from the forested section bordering the river, leaving the four Links trapped between them and the water. One roared orders to the others, and they immediately split up, each one targeting a single boy. "What the hell!" Green yelled, racing for the sword and shield he'd left at the edge of the fish pool. "Where did these things come from?!"

"Blue!" Red yelled. "Get up!" He had kept his sword on, despite suggestions from Green to remove it so the water didn't damage it, and dashed out of the water and up toward the overlook and Vio. The purple-clad boy, at the first sight of the Darknuts, had thrown his book down and charged down the slope, sword out and at the ready. No-one but Blue had their shield readily available, and that's what saved Blue's life- he had barely grabbed it and flung it over his head when a sword crashed into it, jarring his arm to the bone. 

"Aagh! Farore!" he swore, rolling around to the side and slashing at the armored creature. He connected in a lucky hit which brought it down to its knees, so it was easy work to dispose of it. The other three weren't having such an easy time, though. Green had managed to retrieve his shield, but was still running around the riverbank barefoot. Vio was at an uneasy stalemate with his foe- both were circling warily around the other, swords held at the ready. Blue did notice that Vio's circling was taking him ever closer to his shield, though…

And Red- Blue looked around for the familiar red tunic and almost felt his heart stop. Red was being steadily backed up toward the edge of the precipice overlooking the river, the Darknut seeming to take an almost sadistic pleasure in swinging hard, bone-jarring strikes that Red had to parry instead of take on his shield. He was feet away from the edge and inching closer-

"RED!" Blue yelled, dashing up the hill. "Get out of the way!"

"Wha-"

"MOVE!" Blue bellowed, and the Darknut turned its head to look at him. In that moment Red rolled to the side and behind it and Blue-

Blue dropped his sword and flung himself at the Darknut, sending them both toppling into the frigid waters below.


	4. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue goes for a refreshing swim, with consequences.

The frigid current immediately pulled Blue away from his armored attacker, spinning him around and forcing him underwater. He nearly choked in surprise and shock at the temperature, before swimming for the surface. Something whizzed by his face and he felt a sharp, shocking pain directly below his left eye- he turned to face the direction the object had come from and stared directly into the eyesockets of the Darknut.

Blue let out a strangled yell and surfaced, not even pausing to get his bearings before swimming frantically towards the nearest rock protruding from the river's surface. This was not a fight he could ever win, especially not without his sword, and he wasn't stupid enough to stick aro-

Something metallic grabbed his ankle and forcibly pulled him back underwater.

~~~~ 

Vio had just helped Green finish off his Darknut when he heard Red scream. He whipped his head around to stare up at the overlook; when he didn't immediately see Red a bolt of fear jolted through him. He could see the same reaction going through Green, and together they both raced up the slight hill, dreading what they'd find (or wouldn't find…) But to their surprise, and great relief, Red was there laying on his stomach peering over the edge. 

"Goddesses, Red, don't scare us like that," Green wheezed, panting with his hands on his knees. "We thought you were getting thrown over the edge or something!"

Vio actually chuckled, the adrenaline rush in his veins subsiding.

Then Red turned, and they both could see the tears falling out of his eyes. "B-Blue," he choked, barely able to breathe, and pointed down to the river below. Vio and Green rushed to the edge and stared, but all they saw… was a deep blue hat slowly swirling in the current below.

~~~~

It was as if time had slowed down, space had narrowed to a tiny pinpoint of existence, the only things still left alive were himself and this giant animated piece of metal. The current was actually working in his favor now- it knocked the Darknut off balance every now and then, allowing Blue to catch a much-needed gasp of air above the surface before being yanked back under. The temperature of the water was taking its toll on him now, making him feel numb and woozy, and it was all he could do to just flail his way to the surface.

Luck was with him, though- a sudden sweep of current smashed the Darknut into a large rock, and the metal fingers on his ankle loosened. The two were swept in opposite directions, and Blue used the opportunity to kick his way to the surface once more. He took in a huge breath of air, trying to get his bearings, and slowly began paddling his way over to the closest shore-he didn't even care if he ended up on the opposite side of the river from where the others were, he just wanted to get out of the water and onto dry land.

It seemed like it took forever, but finally Blue collapsed on the grass of the riverbank. His entire body was numb, and he didn't even have the energy to roll over onto his back and move the stone that was poking into his cheek. His wet clothes felt like they weighed a couple hundred pounds, making it hard to breathe and think. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and rest for a little….

…

What brought him back to consciousness a few hours later was the pain on his cheek. Blue managed to roll over and put a shaking hand up to his face- the area below his left eye was sticky and wet with what didn't feel like water, and when he looked at his fingertips they were stained red. So something had cut his face… His mind was numb, the fact that he was bleeding didn't really register. He was all set to roll over and go back to sleep when a stray thought hit him with the force of a blow-

_Red._

How he managed to get up was a mystery to him, but the next thing Blue realized he was slowly and painfully making his way upriver. It hurt to breathe- he must have inhaled some water at some point in the battle. He felt cold, all the way down to his bones, and the still-wet clothing draped all over him wasn't helping.

But none of that mattered.

The only thing that did was making sure Red was safe.

~~~~

Green was the first one to see him, slogging his way up toward where they'd stopped for lunch with his head hanging and every step looking like it weighed a ton. "Red! Vio!" He yelled over to where the two sat, Vio rubbing a comforting hand over Red's back while the other still sniffled into his shoulder.

"You see him?!" Vio exclaimed as Red looked up with hopeful eyes.

"He's walking up the bank! He looks like he's fine!" Green gave a sigh of relief, and the knot of tension that had been coiled in his chest loosed suddenly. 

Red was up and running in a heartbeat, passing the startled Green and sprinting headlong in the direction the boy had been looking. He rounded the corner where the overlook jutted out and-

"BLUE!"

The soaked and pitiful-looking boy slowly looked up, just to stagger backwards as a red-colored missile plowed into him. It took him a moment to realize that it was Red, that he was alright, and that he was hugging Blue so tightly he couldn't breathe. Blue's numbed mind didn't even care if the others were around- he raised his arms (it took more effort than he thought) and draped them around the other boy, resting his chin on top of Red's head. By the goddesses, the boy was so warm… "I'm glad… you're okay," Blue rasped, surprised at how rough his voice sounded.

"Blue~" Red sounded like he was about to start crying again, and without thinking about it, without even realizing he what he was doing he moved back a step, pulled Blue's face down a little-

And kissed him. 

Red jumped back almost immediately, flushing a bright pink and bringing both hands up to his mouth, a little frightened as to what Blue's reaction was going to be. 

Blue just blinked and put one finger up to his mouth, brain slowly catching up to the fact that Red had just… kissed… him… He flicked a glance at the boy, and for a brief, glorious moment everything that Blue felt about him was present in his eyes.

However, Blue's body had had its toll of abuse for the day, so in the moment that Vio and Green rounded around the corner Blue's eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed forward.

~~~~

The first thing he was aware of was the voices.

"-done yet? He looks like he might be waking up."

"Give it a minute to cool, you don't want him to burn his mouth."

There was a hand on his forehead, soft and warm. Red.

"Blue?" It was Green's voice, and Blue felt his eyebrow twitch, an automatic response since nearly every time Green spoke it annoyed him. "Blue, can you hear me?" Blue mentally grinned, vowing not to respond.

"Blu~e," another voice murmured unexpectedly into his ear, and he shot upward, knocking painfully into someone else's forehead. 

"Farore!" Green swore, moving backward and rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"…Ow," Blue stated simply, one hand moving to touch his forehead as well. 

"Are you alright, Blue?" Red was suddenly in his line of vision, kneeling over him with an anxious expression. 

"…" Blue thought about it for a moment, pursing his lips. "Yeah."

"That's good!" Red gave a huge smile, and suddenly Blue realized just how close they were to each other.

"…Uh…" 

Fortunately, the awkward moment was broken by Vio coming over with a steaming bowl of soup. "You must be hungry," the purple-clad boy gave a small grin. "You've been asleep for a full twenty-four hours."

"What?!" Blue took a moment to look at his surroundings. They were still by the river-he could hear rushing water, and he shivered. But they'd moved under the trees a little more and set up camp. He was wearing one of Vio's undershirts and Green's spare tunic, and a bunch of other clothes had been packed tightly around him. And his hat was hanging on a tree branch! "What's with all this?" he gestured, taking the bowl from Vio and beginning to eat. He was ravenous, it was true.

"Blue, you were in the freezing water for much longer than could possibly have been healthy for you," Vio sat next to him, legs crossed. "You might have gotten hypothermia, so we took precautions. You're still not out of the water yet- figuratively," he added as Blue snorted at the pun. "It can take a couple of days to see if you'll manifest some symptoms of sickness, so you need to be careful."

Blue snorted again, but didn't comment. 

"We'll leave in the morning, if you're up to it," Green said, flopping backward with his own soup bowl.

"Tch. I'll be fine."

~~~~

They were still another two days away from the next town when Vio started noticing that Blue's behavior was a little… off. He still yelled at everyone else, especially Shadow and Red, but he was less intense about it; his OCD neatness habit was slowly fading, but Vio doubted that anyone else would notice. It was just the small things…

Blue's reactions to Red were off, too. The boy had become Blue's shadow since he'd saved Red from the Darknut, and instead of blowing up at Red like he usually would, Blue just… ignored him, for the most part. Strange…

But it was the next night, when Blue just pulled his tunic and boots off, dumped them beside his bedroll, and dropped instantly into sleep when Vio started to worry. He went over to Blue, intending to feel the boy's forehead for fever, but when he reached down Blue rolled over and grabbed his hand, glaring. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I want to feel your forehead. You've been acting a little weird…" Vio trailed off, reaching down again. Blue countered with his other hand, glare intensifying. 

"Leave me the fuck alone." Vio shook one of his hands free and grabbed Blue's wrist- it was warmer to the touch than it should have been, and he nodded.

"Fine. Goodnight, Blue."

"…Whatever."

~~~~

Blue didn't wake up the next morning.

"Vio? Green?" It was Red's panicked voice that alerted them that something was wrong. "Blue won't wake up, and he's really warm!"

Vio swore under his breath, dropping his pack to the ground and heading over to Blue's bedroll. He laid a hand on the boy's forehead, unimpeded this time, and swore again, this time out loud. "He's probably just caught a cold," he murmured out loud. "But with this kind of a fever, he'll need medicine."

"We're still miles away from the next town!" Green paced back and forth a few feet away. "We'll have to split up if we go get some…"

"I'll stay with Blue," Red said immediately. He'd already gone and dunked his hat in the nearby stream and was using it as a cold compress, laying it across Blue's forehead.

"That'll work. Do you think he can do without medication for another two days?" Green asked Vio.

"He's tough… he'll survive." He'd better… Vio thought. No matter how much the teen irritated him… it just wouldn't be right to be without Blue.

"Then we'd better head out now. There's plenty of food, Red, so don't worry about that," Green smiled at the red-clad boy, who gave him a wobbly grin back. "We'll be back before you know it, and Blue'll be fine!"

"Y-yeah!" A little of Red's cheerfulness came back, and he stood up, running to hug the other two. "Be safe, and come back soon!"

With that, Green and Vio shouldered their packs and set out.


	5. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue dreams. Green and Vio travel. Shadow keeps watch.

He was… hot.

Why was it so hot?

Blue opened his mouth to complain about it but realized that his throat felt like it was on fire, and decided it would be better to simply open his eyes and glare at whatever was making him feel so warm. His eyelids, however, felt like they weighed a ton, and Blue's resolve crumbled. He settled for making a discomfited noise and shifting. It worked- within a moment there was a sudden wash of cool across his face, and another against his chest.

"Blue?" 

Someone was speaking to him, but the voice sounded so far away. It sounded like…

"Blue, can you hear me?"

Soft, cool fingertips on his cheeks jogged his memory.

"Red…" He was surprised by how rough and cracked his voice was, and by the sudden flare of heat and pain in his throat.

"Ssh, Blue, don't try to talk… you're pretty sick…" Red's voice was worried, and Blue felt the corner of his lip twitch in a grin. He nodded, then coughed and winced. Ow.

"Do you want some water?" There was something pressing gently against the corner of his mouth. He obediently opened it and a slow trickle of cool liquid seeped in. Blue gulped thankfully, sighing as it soothed a bit of the raging fire in his throat.

"Vio and Green went to get medicine, Blue, but they'll be gone for a couple days," Red prattled on. He could feel Red's hands on his shoulders, and a sudden coolness flooded along there, too. "I'm sorry I can't help much… But I can get you water and food, and cold compresses from the river…" Red's voice was turning dejected, and Blue made the effort to open his eyes. Everything was hazy and unfocused; he blinked several times before making out Red's outline in front of him. The boy's face was tired, and he was worriedly biting his lower lip.

"…Thanks," Blue rasped, seeing Red's eyes jump to his face. "Red…"

"No, no, Blue, don't talk, you'll strain your throat more," Red admonished, brushing damp strands of hair out of Blue's face. "Just rest. They'll be back soon enough, and you'll feel better, alright?"

Blue sighed, the effort to keep his eyes open becoming too much.

"I promise, I'll be right here when you wake up," Red's voice was soothing, and the hand cupping his cheek was cool. Blue gave a faint nod, and felt himself slide into the oblivion of sleep again.

~~~~

Green and Vio jogged along at a steady rate, each growing more frustrated as the time passed and it seemed like they were getting nowhere. They traveled in silence, opting to save their breath for movement, but there finally came a point where both turned to each other and nodded, collapsing onto the ground.

Both boys lay panting, trying to regain lost breath, and Green clutched at a painful stitch in his side. "This is stupid," he managed to gasp a couple minutes later. "He's not gonna die if we don't get back within a couple days." When Vio remained silent Green turned to him in worry. "…Right? He won't die?"

Vio was silent for a few more moments before answering, seeming to choose his words with great care. "As long as his situation remains uncomplicated, it should be fine. He runs the risk of picking up some secondary infections- pneumonia, influenza- that if let run unchecked could be severely detrimental to his ongoing health. He could die, Green," Vio finished gently, "but only if he had some extremely bad luck."

Green rolled over onto his back, biting his bottom lip as he thought of how life would be if Blue wasn't with them… The view he came up with didn't please him at all. "He's been fairly lucky so far…"

"And he's got Red," Vio added nonchalantly, following Green's example and staring up at the clouds above, his hands behind his head. "Don't forget that."

Green looked at him askance, surprised by his tone. "What do you mean by that?"

Vio let out a chuckle. "Don't worry, I hadn't noticed either."

"Noticed what, now?"

"Blue. And Red." Vio plucked a stem of grass and placed it between his teeth. "Blue likes Red. And apparently Red returns the feeling. Blue's just too much of an idiot to see or acknowledge it."

Green's eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Yeah. Shadow pointed it out to me, and once I noticed one thing, well, then there were a bunch more."

"…" Green laid his head back against the ground, heart rate finally back at a normal speed. "I hope he pulls through this alright."

"So do I, Green… so do I…"

~~~~

As the dark drew closer in around Red and Blue's small campsite the smaller blond shivered, piling more wood onto the fire. He'd collected way more than necessary during the day, when he wasn't sitting beside Blue's bedroll, changing the cold compresses and giving him sips of water. Red was really worried for Blue- he'd been in and out of consciousness all day, each time waking a bit more delirious than the last. 

Red liked Blue- like, _liked_ him- he had for a long time. And when he'd kissed Blue on the riverbank a few days ago it had been like nothing he'd ever felt before. And he felt awful for Blue right now, seeing how uncomfortable he was. So he was trying to make it as easy as possible for Blue. The boy seemed to appreciate it; he'd actually given Red a few half-hearted smiles when Red had come over to lightly sponge off his forehead.

Red gave a soft sigh, sitting with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, and thought back again to the riverside kiss. He gave a slight shiver, a smile growing on his face. Blue hadn't been the one to pull away… did that mean anything? Or had he just been too shocked by the suddenness of it?

A branch cracked in the darkened woods and Red was on his feet, nervously looking around. There was nothing- just himself and Blue, tossing and turning on the other side of the fire.

He went over to curl up next to Blue- the taller blond was sick, and might need something… and he wouldn't push Red away while he was unconscious. Red quickly checked the cloth on Blue's forehead- it could use some new cold water, and so could the one on his chest, but he could get those in a moment- for now, he wanted to sit here and rest his head carefully against Blue's chest, and listen to his heart beat...

~~~~

It had to be a dream, because it didn't make sense.

They were standing on a sand dune overlooking a deserted beach, just Blue and Red. It was sunset, and the warm orange glow stained the waves, making them look warm and inviting.

Alone, together, Blue had no problem with Red taking his hand and interlacing their fingers, giving the cheerful boy's hand a gentle squeeze. It earned him a brilliant smile and a short burst of pure laughter, as Red pulled him toward the water. "C'mon, Blue, the water looks so warm!"

It was.

They played in the surf, chasing each other around, Red's giggling echoing across the sand and occasionally pulling a responding chuckle from the smiling Blue. Once or twice Red even tackled Blue to the ground, whooping laughter echoing from each as the waves pulled them out into deeper water.

He didn't know how it happened but eventually they were lying on the sand, tunics, undershirts and leggings discarded on the ground, hopefully to dry. Red's damp head rested on his chest, the coolness of his hair a sharp contrast to the burning the skin-on-skin contact was igniting in him. His hands were behind his head as he stared upward at the fiery clouds above.

"Blue?" Red's voice was quiet, and gentle. "Can I ask you a question?"

Blue hummed briefly in reply.

"Do you… like me?" Red tilted his head to look up at him, and Blue swallowed nervously.

"Well, yeah, I like you… we're… friends, right?"

Red shook his head. "No, Blue. I mean… like, _like_ like me…."

Blue froze, breath hitching in his throat. Why would Red be asking him this now, when everything was so calm and perfect?

Well, now that he thought about it, why not? Nobody was around, and Red… Red was looking at him with those big blue eyes that made his heart want to melt… Blue called to mind Red's sweet and gentle personality, his incessant cheerfulness that once bothered him but now simply made him smile, his love for sweets and cute things, and… 

It wasn't till he heard Red's small intake of breath and looked down to see the boy's face nearly the color of his tunic did Blue realize he'd been talking out loud. 

Shit.

Blue opened his mouth to backtrack rapidly but paused when Red put a finger to his lips, the boy looking ecstatic. "Blue," he whispered, and the adoration in his tone made shivers run down Blue's spine. "That is so sweet…" He hitched in a breath and Blue was mortified to see tears pooling in the corners of his eyes! This was nothing to cry about, and he said as much, one hand moving up to quickly and gently brush away the drops of moisture.

"I love you too, Blue."

Red's voice was soft as it wavered, and when Blue sat up to look at the boy in astonishment Red sat up too, leaning forward to place a sweet and gentle kiss to Blue's lips.

It was simple from there- to wrap his arms around Red and lower them both gently to the sand again, to tangle his fingers in the soft blond hair, tilting his head back to trail a gentle line of kisses down his neck, to move back up and press his mouth a little harder against Red's, tongue slowly sliding across Red's lips in a silent plea for entry. Red tasted like sweetness and sunshine, like all that was good in the world, and the feeling of the smaller boy's arms locked around him seemed as close to paradise as he could get.

When he opened his eyes and saw the scenery had changed, he wasn't too concerned- this was a dream after all. They were back at camp now, and Red's face was the only thing he could focus on- the bright tint of pink dusted across Red's cheekbones, his half-lidded eyes peering up into Blue's own, those amazingly soft lips parted and trembling beneath him, and he was sure he'd never forget the sight as long as he lived.

It was almost a shame to close his eyes, lean back down and reclaim the boy for his own.

~~~~

Shadow materialized out of the darkness at the edge of the circle of firelight, considerably smaller than it had been a couple of hours ago. He frowned- Vio had asked him to come back here and keep Red company for the night, knowing how insecure the smaller boy would feel. Hell, Shadow had expected him to make a bonfire and keep it up the entire night! Instead, the fire had burned down to small, flickering flames and bright embers, barely enough to illuminate a five foot radius. He could see the toe of Blue's sleeping roll, and he walked over, already suspecting what he'd find. Sure enough, Red lay curled up at Blue's side, the feverish boy's face pressed firmly into his neck. His arms were around the smaller boy, too, holding him tight against him. Blue's sleeping face was serene- Red's was blissful, and there seemed to be something different about him… wait, was that a bruise on his neck?

Shadow knelt down, gently teasing the collar of Red's tunic away from his neck, and had to quickly slap a hand over his mouth to keep from sniggering out loud.

A neat and orderly line of tiny love-bites created a thin collar across Red's throat.


	6. Heat (Day 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red keeps watch. Vio and Green shop.

"For Nayru's sake," Vio muttered, tugging at the collar of his tunic. 

"I know," Green's voice was edgy as he sidestepped around a pair of people haggling over some obscure item in the middle of the street. "This is mad." 

The town they'd just arrived at, if one could even call it a town, was small and dirty, full of ramshackle single-story huts and small alleyways in which the two heroes couldsense people lurking. The only halfway-reputable buildings they'd seen were the inn, where they'd gotten themselves rooms, and the potion shop, which they were heading towards right now.

The people in this town looked… sad, almost. They walked for the most part with their heads downcast, trying to get from location A to location B as quickly as possible, with near-complete disregard for whatever was in their way.

"Hey!" Green was jostled by a tall man who shoved past him, not even looking down at the smaller blond. "That was so rude!"

"Keep your voice down, Green, we're almost here." Vio took a brief look around- the potion shop, marked by the traditional stylized bottle as well as the sign, was about fifty yards in front of them… directly behind a huge throng of yelling, jostling people.

Vio let out an irritated noise, the frustration he felt apparent on his usually calm face, and reached into his bag. "We'll never get through this crowd unscathed," he told Green in an undertone,"and I'm all out of red potion."

"So what are we gonna do?" Green crossed his arms, just as irritated as the purple Link.

In answer, Vio pulled their Hookshot out of his bag and latched onto Green's arm, shooting at the nearest roof and catapulting the both of them up there. "We travel up here," he said, quietly pleased to be able to move unimpeded.

"Clever," Green nodded, already jumping over to the next roof. "We'll get there in no time."

Only a few minutes passed before the two Links jumped off of the last roof, landing neatly in front of the door to the potion shop. Vio held Green back for a moment when the other went to open the door, peering at the sign tacked to the front-

"Enter at your own risk"

Vio frowned. That sounded much more ominous than he liked. But this was the only town within a day's ride of where Blue and Red still lay, unguarded except by Shadow…. And they really needed this potion.

"Alright." He let go of Green, and the other opened the door. Together, they entered into musty, dim-lit darkness.

~~~~

Red was the first to wake the next morning, the sun bright and warming on his face and chest. He was snuggled up to something warm, too…. In fact, the entire right side of his body felt overly warm… Dear Farore, he hadn't rolled onto the coals of the fire, had he?

Or…. was that… 

Red cracked his eyes open, wincing a little at the dazzling ray of sunshine that nearly blinded him. He blinked several times, finally squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds before re-opening them. The sky…. It was blue, and cloudless… beautiful.

And beside him, arms still wound tightly around Red's waist and face pressed into Red's neck, was Blue.

Red could barely stop himself from letting out a noise of surprise, but hastily stifled it. So… what had happened last night …. Blue had kissed him…. Multiple times…. Had he really slept in Blue's arms all night?

Yes. Yes, he had.

Red didn't want to move ever again, but when Blue shifted slightly his forehead brushed against the bare skin of Red's neck. He was burning up once more, and Red reluctantly eased his way out of Blue's grip, padding over to the stream to re-wet the cloths he was using for cold compresses. On his way back Red noticed that the pile of firewood he'd stacked for the night was a lot bigger than it should have been, and that there was a small rectangular package sitting above and to the left of where Blue was still sleeping.

He'd worry about that later. Blue was getting a little restless, shifting onto his back with a look of slight discomfort on his face, and Red immediately moved over, laying the still-dripping cloths carefully onto Blue's slightly flushed face. The teen sighed, relaxing ever-so-slightly, but a hand moved up, groping around presumably for his missing bedmate.

Red reached for the hand, gripping it and intertwining their fingers. "I'm right here, Blue… just sleep. I won't leave you."

And Blue smiled faintly, and squeezed Red's hand.

~~~~

The potion shop was quite possibly the strangest place either Link had been in their entire lives. Cramped and cluttered, with towering shelves and bookcases filled to the brim with all manner of things, and lit here and there by strategically placed candles that did little to actually light the store, simply guiding the visitors deeper into the maze. A quiet and rhythmic drum beat could be heard faintly in the background, and both Vio and Green were on edge as they followed the candles.

"I'm having second thoughts about this," Green murmured under his breath, flinching slightly as he brushed past a precariously-teetering stack of dusty books.

"I can't imagine why," Vio muttered back, rounding a corner.

Both heroes jumped when they heard a voice behind them.

"I don't often get visitors as young as you two, these days." Green whirled, hand going to his sword, but relaxed when he saw it was simply an old man, his face benign and holding a small glass lantern.

"Are you the herbalist for this town?" Vio asked, peering over from behind Green's shoulder.

The man nodded. "I am. Business is slow nowadays, though… come, we can sit in the back room and have some tea while you tell me what you need."

Both boys nodded in unison, following the hunched old man as he wound his way expertly through the maze-like twists between shelves and tables, ending up in a small room that was relatively bare.   
"Just stay here for a moment, will you?"

Vio nodded, pulling a chair away from the small center table and seating himself, motioning for Green to do the same.

It was only a few minutes later that the man returned, carrying a tray with several mugs and a teapot on it. He set the tray on the table, pouring them all tea. "My name is Aelo, by the way. I'm very sure I've never seen you around here before," he commented, sitting down. "Are you travelers?"

"We are," Vio nodded, picking up his cup and taking a polite sip. "A friend of ours fell into the river a few days ago and caught cold. His fever seems a little abnormal… we were hoping that something we found in the town could prevent any unnecessary complications and heal him."

Aelo nodded, sipping at his steaming mug himself. "I can make your potion."

"Good!" Green placed his cup down on the table with a thud. "When will it be ready?"

The elderly man held up a hand. "Unfortunately, I do not have the precise ingredients for it in my shop. It has been a long time since anyone has asked me to make something like this…"

Green huffed, irritated, and Vio sighed. "Where can we find these ingredients?"

"Most of them can be found in the swamp to the south of the town. They're very common- it shouldn't take more than a few hours to gather them and bring them back. Shall I write you a list?"

"Thank you. That would be very helpful," Vio nodded, setting his mug down onto the table as well.

Aelo rose once more, nodding as well with a smile, and slowly made his way over to the other side of the room, retrieving a sheet of paper and inkwell, and after a few moments blew on it lightly. He returned, handing the sheet to Green. "Everything I will need is written there."

Vio and Green both stood, bowing a little to the old man. "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, don't 'sir' me," Aelo chuckled, waving a hand at them. "Go, go and retrieve your ingredients so we can help your friend."

They didn't need a second invitation to leave.

~~~~

Blue panted, throat raw and burning as he rolled over for what seemed like the thousandth time. He couldn't get comfortable… It was just too damned hot outside. He let out a cracked, irritated noise, shifting once more.

"Shh, Blue, it's alright." A wave of blessed coolness swept down his chest and stomach and Blue nearly moaned in relief. "I'm sorry, I know you feel awful… do you want something to drink?"

Water…. Blue almost moaned again, settling instead for nodding slightly. 

"Okay, Blue… I'll be right back." He heard footsteps moving away, and summoned up the force of will to open his eyes. Damn, it's bright outside… He winced, twisting his head away from the light. He couldn't think straight… he didn't really know where he was, or what day it was, even.

The footsteps were returning, and a hand was at his jaw, smooth and cool and gentle. "Open your mouth, Blue…" He did, obediently, and was rewarded with a small mouthful of cool water. He swallowed greedily, sighing as the liquid soothed his throat.

"M-more…" His voice cracked, was hoarse, and he winced to hear it.

"As much as you need." He received another mouthful, then another, until the fire in his throat was soothed. He opened his eyes again, a blurry figure coming into focus in front of him.

"…Red." His voice was soft, almost a caress as he felt a small smile curving his lips. Red nodded, a pleased look on his face.

"You haven't woken up since yesterday, I was beginning to get worried. I… I made soup, if you're hungry…"

Blue shook his head, moving his hand to grasp at Red's. It was cool, like nothing else in this damned place where he was resting, and he sighed, twining their fingers together.

Red blushed, a huge smile on his face. "Do you just want me to sit here and talk to you?" he asked softly, the fingers of his free hand brushing Blue's bangs out of his eyes. Blue nodded, shifting to lean his head against Red's knee. For some reason, being flat on his back unable to do anything wasn't making him as irritated as it should have been… as long as it was only Red seeing his weakness, it   
was fine.

Red moved away and Blue was about to make a protesting noise when he felt his head being lifted and placed into Red's lap.

Red gently laid his hand on Blue's warm forehead, silently urging him to close his eyes again. "I could tell you a story…" he offered, and Blue nodded. "Alright then~" Red bit the inside of his cheek, idly checking the position of the sun. It was about mid-afternoon, leading to evening, and soon it would be dark… 

"I've got one, Blue! It's not very long, though…" He smiled, suppressing a slight shiver at being… well, not alone, but the only one awake…

"So, there were once these two heroes, and they went on an adventure together…" Red's voice grew quiet, almost trancelike, and Blue sighed, closing his eyes. Red's voice had always been soothing to him, and the rhythmic rise and fall of the tone threatened to send him to sleep again.

Blue wished that they could stay like this forever.


	7. Hotter (Day 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vio and Green spend a delightful afternoon in a swamp. Red and Shadow bond. Something goes wrong.

"I will _never_ go into one of those Din-cursed places _again!_ " Green swore as he wrenched his left boot off, watching a small stream of dirty water seep out and onto the parched ground below. It was hard to see it actually soak into the ground, though- night was falling fast.

"Stop complaining," Vio gave him an irritated glance, not bothering to pour the water out of his own boots- all the moisture still on his clothing would simply soak them again. They had spent all day in the swamp, trying to find each and every ingredient on Aelo's list, and Vio had fallen in more than once trying to reach a particularly precarious specimen. "We need to get back to the potion shop before it closes or we'll have to wait another day. I'm worried about them…" He said in a softer voice, shifting the bag of gathered herbs and ingredients from one shoulder to another. "Red never liked the dark, and Blue won't be able to protect him if something happens…"

The shadow connected to Vio flickered wildly, waving its arms as Green turned away to pull his boot back on. Vio crouched down- the two had developed a system of hand-gestures for Shadow so he could easily communicate with the others in the day. However, he sometimes improvised on them and made up his own without telling anyone, so when he pointed east and made a kissy-face at Vio he frowned. "Now is not the time for that," he hissed quietly, glancing at Green.

Shadow shook his head, hands on his hips, and pointed east again, then to his own sword, and held up two fingers.

"…. You want to go back to Red and Blue tonight?" Vio whispered, pressing the fingertips of his right hand against the ground. Shadow's came up to meet them, the closest they could get to touching when Shadow wasn't solid- a small, intimate gesture that never really soothed the craving for Shadow that Vio constantly had.

When Shadow nodded eagerly Vio sighed. "It is …. Very kind of you to do that… I'm sure that Red will really appreciate it…" It meant another night without his Shadow by his side, but he had to admit that Red really needed him more at this point in time. Shadow seemed to catch onto his thoughts, however, and looked like he was about to hesitate. "No, go… they need you more than I do." A lie- but one that he pulled off with icy perfection every day. Someday they would find a way to keep Shadow solid in the daytime… but right now his shadow-skipping abilities were useful. Until then Vio would be able to deal with this craving, this incessant need to be with Shadow at every point of the day…

Shadow hesitated a moment longer, pulling off his (ridiculous, in Vio's opinion) hat and busily fussing with it in front of himself- since both were shadow Vio couldn't see what he was doing. He had to clasp a hand over his mouth, though, when Shadow held it up again- twisted and tied into a perfect heart. "Now you're simply being foolish," he whispered, but he loved the gesture, and knew that Shadow knew it too. "Go on- I will see you when you return…"

Shadow held the heart up for a few more moments, waiting until Vio pulled his hand away from his mouth and allowed him to see the sweet, slightly embarrassed smile there, then took his hands away from it- the heart stayed there, a perfect dark twist in the grass. Shadow reached up (or seemed to, anyway) for Vio's hand, making an irritated motion when he hesitated, and pointed to the shadow heart.

"You can't be serious," Vio muttered, but at another irritated flicker he placed his hand on the dark twist- and pulled Shadow's hat limply from the ground.

The message was clear, but Shadow made the handsigns for it anyway- you hold my heart in your hands.

Or maybe it was 'hat' he'd signed- it would be like him, Vio thought inwardly. "Funny. Now go- it's almost full dark, and Red will be anxious soon…"

In response Shadow touched his hand to his face and reached up towards Vio. Vio shot a quick glance at Green- who still had his back to them, shaking water out of his other boot- and pressed two fingers to his lips, laying them to where Shadow's were waiting. A moment longer, then he flitted away, heading east.

"-back to the inn? Vio?" Green's voice finally registered in his ears and he looked over his shoulder. "Did you hear me? Are we going to try to find a room back at the inn?"

"…. We might as well." Vio stood and shifted the bag of ingredients more firmly onto his shoulder. "But first the potion shop."

~~~~

Red was awake when Shadow materialized this time, and like he'd predicted for the night before had a rather- larger- than- needed fire blazing to keep away the darkness. He noticed that the package he'd left for Red still lay unopened beside Blue's tousled blond hair and he huffed quietly. "I leave you a present and you don't even open it?" He asked, sounding affronted as he sauntered into the circle of firelight.

To his amusement Red leapt up with a startled cry, sword already in hand and held out defensively. "Whoa, Red, take it easy-" Shadow stepped a little further forward. "It's just me."

"…. Shadow! Thank goodness!" Red darted forward and wrapped his arms tightly around the shadow teen's waist, which made Shadow shift uncomfortably till he was released. "How are Green and Vio? Are they okay? Do they have the medicine yet?"

Shadow shook his head and put his hand on Red's back, pushing him back towards Blue. "They spent all day getting the ingredients. They're hoping that the potion-maker will finish it tonight and they can start back in the morning," he informed him, and Red let out a sigh.

"I hope they hurry," he murmured, glancing worriedly at Blue, who shifted and let out an indistinct mumble. "Blue…. He went to sleep again a few hours ago… he wouldn't let me feed him anything…" Red gently placed the sword down and knelt at Blue's side, reaching out to grab his hand and wind their fingers together. "He drank some water, and I keep wetting down these cloths for him but I think he's getting hotter," Red told Shadow anxiously. "What do I do? "

In response, Shadow picked up the small wrapped package he'd dropped beside Blue's head last night and handed it to Red. "Vio found this in the potion shop yesterday. If you can tear yourself away from Blue long enough to find some of these plants, you can boil them and make teas and things… they might help." He flopped down on the ground casually, eyes fixed on the  
flames of the fire.

"Shadow…." Red's voice caught his attention but he didn't turn. "Thank you for coming to stay with me… I know you'd rather stay with Vio…"

Shadow turned to him quickly. How did he…. "What makes you say that?" he asked, elaborately casual.

"I saw you kissing a few nights ago," Red replied simply. "You always stay with Vio, and he looks at you a lot… like I look at Blue…" He let out a self-conscious giggle, bringing his hands up to cover his blushing face.

Shadow seized on the opportunity to change the subject. "About that- what's up with this, hmm~?" He leaned over to pull the collar of Red's tunic forward and poke at the prominent circlet of tiny bruises.

Red squeaked and blushed harder, shifting backwards. "I-it's….. well… B-blue did it," he whispered, looking slightly abashed. "L-last night…."

"Oh~? I thought Blue hated you…"

"Um…." Red let out another giggle. "Well, he doesn't now…."

Shadow leaned forward again. "Really~?" He asked, mainly to see the smaller teen giggle again and squirm around where he was sitting- which Red did. He sighed at the nod, and leaned back again. "Well, I wish you two luck, then…" His gaze drifted back to the fire, thinking of Vio. He was always thinking of Vio….

He could hear Red scuffling around behind his back again, and a low hoarse whisper that was probably Blue asking for water again, but he didn't turn around. Not when he heard Blue's awful coughing. Not when he heard Red's small noise of exertion, and then their footsteps padding over to the bushes. Not even when he heard Red's small whispered 'goodnight' to Blue, and then the soft susurration of a pair of lips brushing against a cheek. He couldn't bring himself to mock the two for what they were beginning to have together, because it was everything he wanted for himself …. And Vio.

After a while- he didn't know quite how long- he became aware of Red sitting beside him, leaning his head against the black tunic that easily blended in with the night. "Go to sleep," he said brusquely, but not in a mean way. "I'll stay up and keep watch."

The blond head on his thigh (he wished it was another) shook back and forth. "Shadow's lonely…" the small and innocent voice whispered. "I'll keep you company…."

"…" Shadow sighed. "It's okay, Red… go to sleep."

Red's breath began to even out.

"Not on me!"

~~~~

The potion shop had been closed and locked the night before, to Vio's displeasure, and he and  
Green had spent a night they didn't really enjoy at the local inn. They left as soon as they could in the morning, and were greeted outside by a mob of people, chattering and talking over one another.

"Oh, for the love of-" Vio growled- Green looked at him askance; Vio wasn't a growly type of person- and began pushing his way through the crowd. "Excuse me," he muttered to anyone who yelped or gave him a nasty look. Green could do nothing but trail along behind him, finally reaching out to latch onto the back of his tunic so he didn't get lost.

Both Links got a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs when they realized the crowd was gathered around the door of the potion shop. From what they'd seen of the town and people yesterday it would take something substantial to rile all these people up…

"Hey!" A young woman exclaimed as she was roughly jostled aside but Vio didn't even look back, fighting his way to the front of the crowd and the door. Green, following again, could hear the various crowd noises coalesce into words.

"-mountain traders again-"

"-third time this month-"

"-taken as -"

"- needs to stop them-"

"-why Aelo? The old man never-"

"-should keep your children inside now-"

Vio had finally stopped, and Green peered over his shoulder… at the large black X scrawled across the potion sign above the door, and the large sheet of parchment pinned to the door with a dagger. To Green's consternation he stepped forward and yanked the dagger out, catching the paper as it fell.

"What does it say?" Green asked in a hushed voice, trying to read over his shoulder.

"…. Aelo has been taken hostage due to this town's refusal to pay tribute to the 'Mountain King," Vio recited in a dry, unamused tone. At the name everyone around them gasped and fell silent, drawing back to make a large empty circle around the two.

"….?" Green's brow furrowed. "Who's this Mountain King?"

Absolute silence met his question.

Vio rolled the parchment up and stuck it through his belt, keeping the dagger in his hand as well.  
"I will repeat the question. Who is the Mountain King, and why is he demanding tribute from you?" His commanding tone floated across the silent crowd.

Finally someone stepped forward, a man with a piercing stare that he used on them. "The Mountain King appeared a few months ago, threatening to pillage our town and take our women for his own. He sent in his army of monsters to take what we had, and we were unable to stop him. All of our strongest fighters were lost in the battles with the Shadow King…" Every villager there dipped their heads and muttered something, whether it was a prayer for the lost or a ward against evil neither Link could tell. "They say," the man continued, "that the Mountain King is naught but a huge metal shell filled with evil, who sends his minions to do his evil bidding, and he resides there." He pointed to the mountain that loomed behind the town, ominous and threatening. "He has taken hostages before, but we have nothing left to give…."

Vio nodded, with a look in his eye that Green winced at- it meant that the violet hero was on to something and it wouldn't end well for the other party involved. "We will return your people to you. Green, let's go." He turned and began walking through the crowd, which parted before him like water.

"Vio!" Green yelped, running after him to tug on his sleeve. "Are you serious?!"

"They have Aelo, Green," Vio said expressionlessly without turning around. "We need him to make the potion, and we most definitely cannot rescue one person and leave the rest."

"….." Green sighed and shifted his belt, feeling the familiar weight of his Four Sword resettle more comfortably on his hip. "Alright…. I just hope you know what you're doing…."

"I always know what I am doing," Vio said in that self-assured tone, and for a moment Green could almost believe him.


	8. Unsettled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vio and Green take a delightful hike up a mountain, with unexpected consequences.

Vio hadn't said a word since they'd started their upward trek into the mountain range, which was just as well- Green didn't have any breath left over to make conversation. The pace the steely-eyed blond was setting was enough to keep him off-balance and scrambling to keep up, and as the sun reached its zenith, hanging brutally overhead, Green stopped dead. 

"Violet."

The purple-clad one stopped dead, slowly turning to fix Green with a baleful eye- but he'd stopped, and that was all Green had wanted. "Look, Vio- I understand just as well as you how fast we need to get up there, but we don't have to kill ourselves getting up there! Even if you don't need a break, I'm about to collapse....." He saw Vio frown, as if just noticing his own weariness, and patted a low flat rock enticing. "C'mon- sit and have a water break with me and then we can discuss this 'plan' you have....."

After another moment's hesitation Vio folded with good grace and a wry smile, coming to share Green's rock. "I apologize," he said softly, pulling off his pack and rummaging for his canteen. "You are completely correct."

"It's no problem," Green chuckled, slinging a companionable arm around Vio's shoulders for a moment. He pretended not to notice the other teen's slight flinch of surprise and unease, simply shifting his weight and pulling the arm off to utilize the hand in pulling the cap off his own canteen. 

They drank in silence for a few moments, a slight awkwardness in the air between them. 

"Soooo-" Green tried to break it again. "Did you get any news from Shadow about Blue and Red last night?"

Vio gave a brief shrug of his shoulders. "He has been staying the nights with them to alleviate Red's nervousness of the dark and to provide extra assistance. Blue's fever has not abated one iota- indeed, it may well be getting worse. Red does what he can, but Shadow informed me that he is eating less and less. He also informs me-" and here Vio's voice took on a decidedly wicked tone, "that Blue has apparently begun to form a 'relationship' with Red~"

Green stared at him blankly. "You're kidding me."

"I am not," Vio assured him with a smirk. "Shadow told me that the first night he watched over them he found them wrapped in quite a tight embrace, and Red's neck had been subjected to bearing several hickies~"

Green absolutely crowed with laughter. "No way! No freaking way! That's impossible!"

Vio's laugh briefly joined his- unfettered, slightly selfconscious, as the two blondes managed to relax a bit in the sunshine. 

They set onward and upward soon after that, refreshed by the water and the amusing thought of angry, inhibited Blue pursuing happy, carefree Red- Green unable to help chuckling outoud every now and then. Vio's pace was much less brutal now- although the terrain they were traversing now was much steeper, which meant they had to be more cautious. 

Green made the mistake of looking down once as they edged their way along a particularly steep section and immediately stopped, gulping and pressing as close to the sheer rock wall as he could. It was a *long* way down...... At Vio's noise of query he forced his feet to move again, relieved beyond belief when they came to a broader flat spot. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" He asked breathlessly. "Another few inches thinner and if we'd slipped- we'd have been splat on the mountainside quicker than you could say- _Farore!_ " he swore, tearing off his pack and jumping to his feet. 

"What?" Vio was instantly alert, one hand on the curve of his bow. 

"This view- look at it! There's a freaking road up the other side of the mountain!" Green groaned in misery. 

Vio stiffened though, moving to where Green was standing. "A road.... A road that should not be there," he said softly. "This section of Hyrule is mostly uninhabited, except for small fishing towns by the coast. There is no need for a road here......so why is there one?"

Green's possible answer was drowned out by the sudden shriek of what sounded like a bird- but never had a bird grown so large to utter a cry like that! The entire *mountain* rumbled with the cry and Green staggered, clutching at the wall. 

Vio staggered too- one foot meeting nothing but thin air. 

He fell before he had a chance to utter a word. 

~~~~

When Vio next regained consciousness he was aware of a throbbing pain in his skull, to match the throbbing pain of his ankle, and a much duller one in his wrist. The sun was out of his eyes- either it was gone or he was somehow in the shade...

A loud scrape came from just beside his head and his eyes flew open, jerking himself away from it. That was a bad idea- the throbbing in his skull increased tenfold and blackness pulsed at the edge of his vision. 

"Vio! Thank the goddesses, you're awake!"

The voice was Green's, vio realized muzzily, so he must be somewhat safe. The green-clad leader dropped into his vision not a second later, eyes wide and anxious. "Don't try to move too much, you took a ....... A pretty nasty fall....."

"Hn," Vio answered verbosely, shifting himself in an attempt to begin sitting up. Green immediately reached out and supported him. 

"Vi...... Your ankle's really badly sprained, if not broken," he murmured into the other blond's ear- feeling him stiffen. They both knew what that meant- Vio wouldn't be able to climb the rest of the way up.....or the rest of the way down. "Look....... We need Aelo. He can make a red potion for you....."

"Don't be an idiot," Vio replied harshly. "You can't possibly be thinking of going up there by yourself-"

Green interrupted him, talking fast. "I'm leaving the packs here with you- there's enough food and water to last about three days, if you use it wisely- which you will-" he gave a slightly pained smile. "You're the smartest one of all of us...."

"Green, this is ridic-"

He placed his hand over Vio's mouth again. "You're as safe as you can be here- it's easily defensible, and I won't me longer than a day and a half, alright?"

"Green-"

Green bent his head and pressed his lips to Vio's, and any argument he had shriveled and died in utter shock. 

"Stay. Here." He had slipped out from underneath Vio's head before the other could notice and was standing in the opening of the small cave formation. He smiled- Vio could see from here how anxious he was- and said "I'll be right back."

And before Vio could say anything he was gone.


	9. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vio ponders. Red frets. Green fights.

_He kissed me._

Vio sat in the shaded area furthest back in the small cave, forehead pressed against the cool stone to attempt to ease the throbbing pain beneath his temples. Dragging himself there had been barely short of torture- his entire back hurt as well, and he was quite sure he'd have an amazing collection of bruises by the time the sun rose again, but the worst was his ankle. It seemed that Green's second assessment was right- it both looked and felt broken, and he had nothing to ease his pain with.

To say that he should grin and bear it seemed incredibly cliche, but that appeared it was what he had to do anyway.

So he sat, focused on taking regular breaths and watching the light slowly shift away from the cave entrance. Nightfall was coming.......and if Green didn't come back for him, or send someone, he would die.

That was a horrible and depressing thought, though, so he tried to turn his sluggish mind away from it. 

Of course, the only other thought there was _Why did he kiss me?_

\------------------

The higher he climbed on this mountain the more questions came to Green's mind, and fewer answers. Signs of people were everywhere- there were obvious signs of stones being shifted, trees hewn away and used to create small storage sheds that dotted the long and winding path to the top. And long was the operative word- it was approaching evening by the time the path leveled out to a broad, flat fenced-in area full of monsters. Green hastily ducked behind the nearest boulder to get his bearings, watching the patrolling moblins with a frown. There were so many.... but what were they all doing up here? 

He crept a little closer- their guarding pattern was roughly circular, and the patrols switched direction every ten minutes. There was a shadowed area near the fence that, if he was careful, could be used to stealthily boost him over and towards the center complex about three hundred feet in.

Green took a deep breath then reached into his bag and grabbed his grappling hook- it would be near-silent if it hit something, unlike their hookshot. There were several tree branches sticking out over the top of the fence as well- between those and the sloped fence it should be simple, if not easy, to get over the fence.

So he went for it, and five minutes of moblin-dodging later he was situated on the roof of the building, over an easy-access trapdoor that he hesitantly entered.

The first thing he noticed was the stench. Green barely kept himself from gagging out loud, ripping his hat off to press over his mouth and nose. The incessant buzzing of flies reached his ears as well, and he gagged when he realized he must be in either the larder or the morgue, and that neither was very well-tended to.

The second thing he noticed was the light coming from under the door at the far wall.

 

\-----

Red was talking aimlessly to Shadow as he gathered wood for that night's fire when he realized the other had stopped acknowledging him, had stopped moving completely, as a matter of fact. He stood frozen, a long thin dark line stretched out on the ground, making Red frown. "Shadow? Something the matter?"

At the sound of Red's voice Shadow moved- flattened, almost, stretching himself even thinner and darker until the shadow being resembled nothing so much as a thin line, the tip darting back and forth between thin patches of shade. It was a bit disturbing, to say the least, and Red shifted very uncomfortably, feeling like he shouldn't move.

It took a bit but Shadow eventually re-formed into a more humanoid shape, and refused to answer any of Red's tentative queries about what had just happened. Red sighed and dropped the matter, heading back to their campsite and placing one last armful of wood into their pile. He then went to check on Blue, who hadn't been getting any worse, but hadn't been getting any better either. His fever still raged under his skin and he hadn't been able to stomach anything since the night before. He was asleep now, brow furrowed slightly in a look of annoyed tension (also known as his usual look) and Red let out a halfhearted chuckle, plopping down next to him as quietly as he could. There was just enough time before sunset and darkness that could be used to look over that book Shadow had brought for him....

\-----

Moblin bodies lay strewn all across the floor, and Green was panting. He'd come across their main dining hall, which was fortunately almost empty when he had opened the door. It was .... more difficult than he'd expected, fighting without the others, but Green had fought alone before and it was surprising how quickly the knowledge returned to him. More had come in through the side doors- he didn't want to know how many of the foul things he'd slain, but his sword was drenched in sludgy green-black blood, and the stench was atrocious. He wiped it off on the nearest moblin's shirt as best he could, crinkling his nose as he realized he wouldn't be able to re-sheathe it in its current condition. It was probably for the best- he had a lot of exploring to do and there was bound to be more of the creatures of darkness in there.

He stumbled across a sleeping area as he wandered through the halls- taking the opportunity to catch the monsters inside off guard and dispatch them peacefully- before the soft sound of sobbing caught his ear. He paused, swiveling his head and trying to catch which direction the sound was coming from- it almost sounded like it was coming from below....

Two minutes of scouting turned up a trap door, and Green cautiously descended into the darkness below.

The ladder gave out abruptly about six feet above the floor, and Green let out an undignified noise as he landed painfully on his back. Fortunately there was nobody down here with him- the long dark tunnel was completely barren. There was light up ahead, though, and Green held his sword at the ready as he paced towards it.

The hallway opened up into a larger cavern at the end- torches lined the walls, illuminating another five or six moblins standing guard around a large cage full of Hylians. Mostly women, but there were a few children there, and one hunched and battered old man that Green recognized instantly as the potion maker, Aelo. 

The green-clad Link paused a moment, hesitating as he formed a plan of action in his mind, then pulled out his Hookshot and shot the nearest moblin in the head.

That went about as well as expected- the monster roared in pain and staggered to the side, drawing everyone's attention to it, and while they were distracted Green shot two arrows into the farthest moblin's neck. It gave a gurgled cry and toppled backwards, as did the next moblin. By this time the others had figured out where the attacks were coming from, and one gave a muffled grunting roar of a battle cry, charging at the lone figure at the mouth of the tunnel.

This was just what Green wanted. The other three moblins rushed as well, tangling up with each other in the cramped space and giving Green plenty of time to cut through them as necessary. It was simple to defeat them all, and he spent a moment catching his breath after they were all down before walking to the cage. The people there were looking at him in nothing short of awe- this one teenager singlehandedly defeated six moblins in hand-to-hand combat without even a scratch? Who and what was he?

There was a padlock on the only entrance into the prisoners' pen, so he went back and searched through the monsters- sure enough, a silver key was hanging onto one belt, so he brought it back and unlocked the door. "I'm here to get you out of here," he said simply, smiling at everyone. "My name's Green, and I'm not leaving anyone behind. Is anyone hurt?"  
It took a moment, but one of the women rose to her feet and started chivvying everyone else to get up as well. "No, Sir Knight," she said, voice husky from disuse. "None are hurt. How did you get in here?"

Green gave a slight chuckle. "A lot of hard work. And it's going to be even more to get out of here. I'm going to need all of you to stay as silent as you can, and to move as fast as you can. Can anyone here handle a weapon?" He breathed a sigh of relief as four women broke apart from the group, moving a little closer. "Alright. Will you grab some of their-" he pointed behind him at the dead moblins- "weapons, and stay at the back and along the edges to guard everyone?"

They nodded, and he smiled again. "Great. Let's get moving then!"

By Farore's divine grace they made it without incident to the dining hall that Green had first come in by, but something wasn't sitting right with him. Odd tingles kept running up his spine, making him hyper alert, and right before the doorway he motioned back to the others. "Stop here- something's wrong." He took a breath. "Find someplace to hide, someplace that you can defend yourself." 

As quietly as they could, the group moved back further down the hallway, and Green gritted his teeth before dropping to his stomach. He crawled close to the doorway, sticking his face close to the crack, and peered in.

What he saw made his jaw drop and his stomach clench in pure, visceral fear.

More moblins gathered inside, but Green's focus was drawn to the hulking metal monster pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. It looked like an Iron Knuckle, if an Iron Knuckle was fifteen feet tall and oozed darkness out of every crack in its segmented armor. 

If an Iron Knuckle's armor was black as the deepest night, veined with throbbing red symbols pulsing in time to the movements of the streamers of evil emanating from it.

If an Iron Knuckle's chestplate had the sigil of the Shadow King incised onto it.

Green tried to swallow, throat suddenly closed tight. This was something far beyond his league. This was a literal embodiment of all things wrong in the world. They had shut Vaati and his lord and master away months ago, but it appeared that their seal wasn't as strong as they thought.

Evil was still loose in the world, and it was standing between him and freedom.

Green took a deep breath, stood up, and opened the door.


	10. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green makes a stand.

The moment Green stepped inside the expanse of the room it felt like time itself slowed down. It was dim, and cavernous, the sparse torchlight flickering on the walls doing next to nothing to illuminate the surroundings. The ceiling appeared to be domed, the floor smooth and tiled. From what he could see, the walls were adorned in richly colored tapestries, the floors in intricately woven rugs. The sound of the door opening had caused every one of the moblins inside the room to turn, beady eyes fixing on him. The Iron Knuckle itself was the only movement in the room- as Green watched, heart in his throat, it reached the center of the room and paused, turning its massive head towards him with a shriek of protesting metal.

Green swallowed.

The door slammed shut behind him.

“And what is this we have here?” came a voice unlike anything Green had ever heard, and he struggled not to flinch. It was cold and harsh, rasping and brittle, sounding like it came from several directions at once. “An errant Hylian walking freely through my domain?”

With that, the monster turned fully to face Green, the moblins clustering around it looking like children compared to its vast size. “This will not do at all, no,” it continued, one long arm reaching forward. “Detain him.”

Immediately three moblins broke off from the surrounding mass and raced towards him. Green hefted his sword, tightening his grip briefly. They were clearly unused to combat, running at him in a ragged v-shaped line, and the moment the nearest one came within range he stepped forward and sliced its head off. From there it was a simple matter to pivot and turn, stabbing the one to the left of him in the back of the neck and reversing neatly to parry a strike from the third, who immediately tried to back away. It was a simple matter to bend under its hasty swing and take it out at the knees, and Green kicked the unsteady monster onto its back and executed it with a single sharp thrust through the chestplate.

He moved back, flicking his sword briefly to fling the drops of blood off the tip. The gathered moblins shrieked angrily, a few of them moving forward towards him before the metal being dropped its raised arm. It tilted its head at Green, studying him, and Green shivered at the pressure of that merciless gaze.

“So,” it rasped, armor protesting noisily as it resumed its pacing, faceplate never turning away from Green. “Not just an errant Hylian, then- an errant _Hero?_ ” Its voice dropped, becoming even colder, even louder. “A poor lost soul who merely happened to stumble his way to the top of my mountain. Do you know who I am, little Hero?” Without waiting for an answer it once more raised its hand, sending a much larger group of moblins at Green.

It was just as easy this time for him to dispatch his foes- easier, perhaps, since they’d seen his swordsmanship against their brethren earlier and were still mad with rage. Green’s sword danced in the low light, and within moments the ground around him was surrounded once more with bodies.

“I don’t care who, or _what_ you are,” Green said from behind gritted teeth. “I’m just here to get the townspeople back.”

At that, a low gravelly rumble filled the air. It took Green a moment to realize that it was the creature laughing. “Oh, little Hero, look at you- filled with the fire of defiance,” it mocked, footsteps falling hard against the solid floor. “You say you do not care- that is your first mistake.” Once more its arm raised, and once more Green slashed his way through a wave of minions. “Or, should I say, your second mistake- your first was entering my domain in the first place!” It moved ponderously over to the nearest wall, upon which was hanging a large and dangerous looking double headed battleaxe. “Perhaps I should teach you a lesson about trespassing into the lair of the Shadow King.”

Green was panting by now, covered in flecks and smears of moblins blood, and at the monstrous being’s words his heart skipped a beat. Moblins he could take by the score, but how could he ever hope to defeat something like that?

The Shadow King’s hand closed around the axe, and it hefted the weapon from the hooks on which it hung. It turned to Green, tendrils of darkness writhing across its armor. “Well, Hero?” it asked, metal visage seemingly taunting. “Have at you!” 

With that, it swung the battleaxe down in a deceptively swift motion that Green was barely able to dodge. The axe hit the floor instead, flinging shards of ceramic tile into the air. Green rolled to the side, darting forward to try and hit the Shadow King’s side, but it heaved the weapon out of the floor and swung at him, fast enough that the very tip clipped him and sent him sprawling.

He skidded to a halt, but immediately had to roll to the side again as the axe once again whistled downwards to bury itself in the floor. This time he was fast enough to get in a ringing blow to the Shadow King’s armored side. It didn’t seem to have any effect and he cursed as he was knocked away again by one of the hulking arms.

Back and forth they struggled across the room, Green’s blows seeming less and less effective each time he managed a hit on the hulking iron being. The room was filled with the sounds of shattering tile and metal plates grinding together, and Green swore as one of the ceramic chips sliced across his cheek. The next second the side of the battleaxe caught him once again, causing him to stagger backwards, landing on the floor.

The Shadow King laughed, a cacophony of sound that slithered down Green’s spine and fixed him in place. “ _This_ is all the fight you can muster, _boy_?” it mocked, and swung its axe down. The sharpened triangular tip thudded to the ground a hairsbreadth from Green’s leg and he gasped, scrabbling backwards away from it. “I wonder how you ever managed to defeat my master in the first place.” Once again the great axe came up, and again down, and Green barely managed to roll out of the way once more. 

The desperate maneuver ended when he came up hard against a wall.

“Hero, Hero, Hero,” the Shadow King shook its massive plated head. “You’re barely more than a child. You should feel quite lucky that I will be the one to end your pitiful life- my master would not be so kind.” The axe swung down sharply.

Green, not seeing any other recourse, swiftly whispered a prayer to Farore and flung his shield arm upwards. The axe skidded off of it with a horrific noise and buried itself into the wall as if the rough stonework and rich tapestry was little more than wet clay.

The Shadow King took one heavy step forward, then another, until its great dark form was looming over Green. “Ah, Hero, if only you had lain down your life, you would have gone peacefully,” it seemed to sigh, the noise of its exhalation like a hundred screaming teakettles. The incised segments of its chestplate began to move, sliding back away from each other to expose a swirling hole of blackness.

“I will take your soul, Hero,” it hissed, “and you will wish you had died.” It lowered itself further, until it was merely an arm’s length away from Green. His mind was racing, heart pounding, body numb from fear and adrenaline, and yet-

If he died here, so would Vio, and Blue, and probably even Red and Shadow. So would all the townspeople he had tried to rescue, and probably the entire rest of the town, eventually. If he died here, who would protect them? Who would protect Zelda? Who else could protect the land but the five of them?

He tightened his hand on the hilt of his Four Sword once more, and took a deep breath as the dizzying whirl approached him. 

“Speak your last words, Hero,” the Shadow King intoned with the finality of a funeral dirge.

“I’m not the one dying today!” Green snarled, and with one final push of desperate strength he plunged the sword into the writhing mass of darkness.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, with the screech of a thousand tortured souls, it exploded outward, knocking Green even harder into the wall as the Shadow King's metal corpse flew backwards. He slid to the ground, head ringing, as clouds of smoke billowed out of the still-twitching iron mass. Blasts of air began to whip around the room, flinging loose objects in every direction, and Green could barely muster up the strength to raise his shield against the worst of it. The smoke flowing upwards in the center of the room was untouched, and as Green watched in exhausted horror began to coalesce into something beastly, some monstrous roughly featured head that slowly turned to face him. 

It opened a mouth that seemed to disappear and reappear in the constantly swirling winds, and in a voice that chilled Green to his bones began to speak.

_“I know your face now, Hero,”_ it howled in its fury. _“I know your face now, and I knew your face then. Look at you, you wretched filth, not even half of what you used to be- you could barely defeat this shell! How can you think you will ever defeat ME? I will return for you, Hero, and your Princess, and this time NO ONE SHALL STOP ME!”_

The column of smoke whirled dizzyingly as the face moved closer to Green. _“I am your death, Hero,”_ it hissed. _“I am your beginning and your end, and I will destroy everything you hold dear. I am **Ganon** and your world is going to be **MINE!!!”**_

With that the winds rose to a shriek and the column contracted into a pinpoint of shape and color. Then everything exploded in a wave of heat and sound, and that was the last thing Green knew for a while.

~~~~

He came to himself again as someone was reaching towards his face, and on pure reflex reached out and grabbed their hand. “Easy, Hero,” a voice said soothingly, and it was everything he could do not to cringe. “You’re safe now, everything’s alright.” 

With a groan Green lifted himself up onto his elbows, taking a muzzy look around. The cavernous room… didn’t appear to be a room any longer- the walls looked like they had been blasted away by some huge explosion, and the stars were bright above his head. “What happened?” he asked, or tried to- in the middle of the first word he began coughing, and a flask of water was held out for him to drink.

The woman who had helped him gather up the townspeople was sitting at his side. “We hid as you asked us to, Sir Knight, but no one came,” she told him in a low voice. “We waited for you to come out for a long time, and then…” She gestured wordlessly at the destruction around them. “When the dust cleared, we came in to find you.”

Green handed her back the water flask with a nod of thanks, then began the painful process of pushing himself onto his feet. “No one was hurt, right?” he asked, turning to her.

“A few minor injuries,” she shrugged, “but we found a cache of red potions in a chest at the far end of the hall.”

Green’s eyes widened at that. “Are there any left? I need at least two of them.” The woman nodded, slightly confused, and went to fetch them. Once he had them tucked into his belt pouches securely Green gave the gathered villagers a quick once-over. “You can get down the mountain, right?” he asked. “There’s a path straight to the bottom- it’s a little tricky at places, but I think everyone here could manage it.”

“Aren’t you coming with us, Hero?” A young girl from the crowd stepped forward shyly. “We need to thank you properly! There should be a feast, at the very least!”

Green shook his head immediately. “I have to get back to my … my brothers. One of them is very sick, and another is hurt pretty badly, so I should be getting back as soon as possible.”

“Please, Hero- may we at least reward you with something?”

He sighed, rubbing his temples briefly. “Must you? Really, it was nothing to, thank me for….” He trailed off, eyes flicking briefly towards the vast pile of metal armor, and gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Well, maybe it was, but really-“

“No, Hero, we must do something to thank you,” another townsperson said, the rest nodding and smiling. Green sighed again and thought for a moment.

“Alright,” he said, and a few people cheered. “I have to make a stop about a quarter of the way down the mountain, so you’ll probably make it back to the town before me. If I could borrow,” he stressed the word, “two of your fastest horses or ponies, and have them waiting for me when I reach the town, it would be me in your debt.”

With that, he turned to retrieve his sword and shield, and began the slow trek downwards.


	11. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vio and Green have an important discussion.

“For the last time, Green, I’m _fine,_ ” Vio sighed as the two cantered along the firmly-packed path. They had been travelling since the early morning, the light barely enough to illuminate the trail. It was midday now, and they had only stopped for a break once, spurred on by the unspoken fear that Blue might have taken a turn for the far worse in the time they’d been gone. “You administered the red potion yourself, you watched my ankle heal.”

“Still!” the other protested, twisting in the saddle to look him over once more. “This is a lot of hard riding to do on a recently-healed wound-“

“Oh, do not be hypocritical at me,” Vio snapped. “I am not the one who fought my way - _alone,_ may I add, - through an entire fortress of hostile creatures, then went toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous beings Hyrule has seen since the fall of Vaati and barely came away with my life!”

“I didn’t _barely_ come away with my life!” Green yelped, a little offended. 

“If the townspeople hadn’t been following you so closely before you returned to where I’d fallen, you would not have made it back to me,” Vio countered, staring straight ahead at the path. “When you finish a fight, Green, the very first thing you do is heal _yourself,_ not stagger away from a plentiful cache of red potions on some half-cocked heroic scheme! I was not a damsel in distress, thank you very much,” he ended with a huff that, despite the tenseness in the air between them, made Green snort in laughter.

“I dunno about that, Vi,” he teased. “You did just sit there swooning while I did all the hard work!”

“Green.” Vio’s voice had lost any warmth it might have carried, and Green swallowed briefly before turning to look once more. Vio was staring straight at him, face free of emotion save for a tiny furrow between his eyebrows. “We need to talk.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” Green tried to quip, hands gripping his reins a little more tightly.

The violet hero sighed and broke the stare first, gaze returning to the road. “Why did you kiss me.”

Ah. 

That.

Green flinched a little, cheeks heating up the slightest bit. “Ah….” He began, trailing off into awkward silence. Minutes passed with only the sound of creaking leather and hooves impacting packed earth to break the silence. When Vio continued to wait he gave a frustrated sigh and tugged on the reins to slow his horse down. “We should give them some water and a break, we’re almost halfway there.”

The other teen made a noise of acknowledgement, and in a few moments they came across a clearing with a small stream running through it. They both turned off the path and dismounted, hobbling the horses and turning them free to have a graze and a drink. Vio took food for themselves out of the saddlebags- the townspeople had insisted on providing them with three times as much as they thought they might need. They settled side by side with their backs against a convenient fallen log, eating in silence.

Once Vio had deemed he had had enough, he nudged Green slightly with his boot. “I believe you owe me an explanation?” he asked, faux-sweetly.

Green sighed and dropped the piece of cheese he’d been holding into his lap, placing his elbows on his knees and his head into his hands. “What do you want me to say?” he grumbled, slightly muffled.

Vio shrugged, placing his hands behind him and leaning backwards. “Whatever you need to say to convey to me exactly what your motivations and intent were,” he said with an air of tired patience.

“Viiioooooo,” Green groaned, rubbing his temples. “I dunno! Isn’t that what you do when you like someone and might never see them again?”

Vio slowly turned to look at him, wide eyed, but Green continued to stare at the ground with his face cradled in his palms. “Because … I do, you know,” he continued, in a much softer voice. “I like you a lot. N-not just in the kissing way either!” he backpedaled hastily. “You’re so calm and collected all the time, you always know just what to do to get us out of a bad place…” He chanced a quick peek at Vio, but immediately buried his face in his hands again, blushing fiercely. “It’s really narcissistic, I know,” he said ruefully. “Being in love with myself.”

“Tell that to Blue and Red,” Vio murmured under his breath, and Green’s shoulders bounced in a brief laugh.

“Yeah, I guess it’s not just me, huh?” he chuckled. “Makes me feel a little better about it.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the wind bending the grass into wavelike ripples and birdsong filling the clearing intermittently. Green fidgeted briefly, pulling off his hat and sitting fully up to run his fingers through his hair. “Getting long,” he muttered. “I need a haircut.”

“You should try growing it out,” Vio said after a moment, gaze fixed on the passing clouds.

Green made a huffing noise, shaking his head and pulling the hat back over it. “Zelda would love that, wouldn’t she? She kept insisting that we should do that when we were still Link…”

The silence between them grew again, quiet and peaceful, until Green cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hey, Vio…”

The purple clad teen made an enquiring noise, eyes closed as he enjoyed the sunlight warming his face. 

“Look… I know that you don’t like me- well, I mean I hope you like me! Just, I’m assuming you don’t like me in the kissing way yet- but…” A shadow slid across Vio’s face, blocking his sunlight, and he opened his eyes the barest slit to check if a cloud had crossed the sun. It was all he could do not to flinch backwards when he realized that Green had moved to nearly straddle him, leaning down into his face.

“D’you think that maybe … we could try it out?” Green whispered with nervousness in every line of his body.

Vio swallowed.

“Just for a little while… just to try it out?” he continued, voice soft. “You don’t have to answer me now, just… give it some thought? I would love to be the one to make you happy,” he finished in a rush of breath, and Vio couldn’t help the blush that rose to his cheeks.

“Green-” he tried to say, but Green placed a finger on his lips quickly to stop him, and shook his head.

“Please just think about it,” he murmured. “I’m going to kiss you again now.”

Vio’s eyes flew wide open and before he could protest Green had leaned forward.

He couldn’t help being analytical about it- Green’s lips were rougher, more chapped than Shadow’s, his touch more hesitant, yet more physically present than the other’s had ever been. The breath ghosting softly against his lips when Green pulled the slightest bit back was warmer than Shadow’s, and the small embarrassed noise that escaped before he leaned back in was like nothing Shadow had ever made.

Vio was beyond dismayed when he realized he had closed his eyes and leaned the smallest fraction into the second kiss.

He jerked his head backwards, eyes wide, unable to stop the blush burning fiercely in his cheeks. Green was blushing too, he was glad to note somewhere in the corner of his mind that was still analyzing this entire experience. His dismay only heightened when Green’s lips curved into the happiest expression he’d seen on the other in a while, and when he leaned in to press his luck for a third Vio finally managed to raise a hand to place against Green’s shoulder, making the other (thankfully) pause.

Guilt chilled his insides and Vio turned his head away, mind frantically racing as he searched for the gentlest combination of words of refusal he could piece together. He opened his mouth, strings of _I’m sorry, I can’t, we can’t_ ready to drip off the tip of his tongue-

And was absolutely horrified when he heard himself say “I … will think about it,” instead.

He turned just in time to see Green’s smile grow even more brilliant, as the other teen pushed himself back onto his knees. “That’s all I can ask for,” Green said softly, and offered a hand to Vio to help him to his feet.

Vio, hating himself a little more with every passing second, took it.

~~~~

They reached the camp at sundown.

Green was the one to canter into the clearing first, scrambling off of the horse as fast as he could and digging into the saddlebags. Vio was only seconds behind him, riding in a tight quick circle to avoid mowing down Green’s abandoned horse before dismounting and tethering the both of them to a nearby tree.

“Green! Vio!” Red dashed up to them, looking like he was about to cry from relief. “Thank goodness you’re back!” He flung his arms around Green, squeezing the other blond tightly.

“Hey, Red,” Green replied, voice slightly strained due to lack of air. “Were you okay while we were gone? How’s Blue?”

Red drew back at the question, brow furrowing. “He hasn’t changed- I got him to drink a little today but he won’t eat anything… you brought something to help him, didn’t you?” he pleaded. “I don’t know what else I can do!”

Vio walked past the two of them, nodding at the ground when Red’s shadow suddenly contorted violently and slipped into Vio’s. “We have potion,” he confirmed, “as well as quite a story.” He moved over to the bedroll where Blue was lying, kneeling and placing the inside of his wrist onto his head.

Blue’s skin was hot and bone-dry to the touch, and he was breathing in short pants. Dark shadows ringed the underside of his eyes, his face was pale underneath its fevered redness. “The sooner we can get it into him, the better it will be for all of us,” he called over to the two still by the horses, and Green and Red hurried over immediately.

“So how should we do this?” Green asked, looking down at the potion cradled in his hands. “We don’t want him to choke…”

“Red, move behind him,” Vio directed. “Prop his head up on your knees. We’ll only be able to give him sips at a time, and keeping his head up a bit will prevent him from choking. Green,” he glanced briefly over at the other, then sharply back at Blue. “You’ll have to control it very carefully.”

Green nodded and uncorked the bottle. All three paused at the familiar scent, then Red moved to do as Vio had directed. It was a slow and boring process, marked only by Blue’s periodic coughs when he was fed a bit too fast, but by the time the sun was nearly under the horizon the bottle was empty and Blue’s breathing was noticeably easier.

Everyone exhaled in relief. Green rocked back onto his heels, dropping the empty glass bottle onto the grass with a sigh. Vio stood to pop his back, lacing his fingers together and arching them over his head. He jumped only slightly when a hand pressed against his lower back, another reaching up to the interlaced hands there and tugging on them gently to coax him into a deeper curve, and he groaned at the satisfying pops that resulted.

“Is that a sword in your scabbard or are you just happy to see me?” Shadow’s low voice murmured into his ear and Vio let out a soft laugh, standing up straight again and shaking his tunic back into order.

“Hello to you as well, Shadow,” he replied drolly, an unwilling smile lifting the corner of one lip. “I hope you fared well in our absence?”

The shadow being snorted loudly, going over to slap Green on the shoulder in a friendly hello that rocked the other forward, nearly unbalancing him. “Red had it all under control- I was pretty much a glorified stick-fetcher to keep the fire going at night. But what’s this about a ‘story’ I hear? I bet mine can top it~”

Red let out a squeak and covered his face in both hands.

Green and Vio snorted in tandem at that, turning to face him. “Aw, Red,” Shadow cooed, kneeling by the other boy and dropping a friendly arm around his shoulder. “Do you wanna tell it instead? I can let you do it instead, that way they can have the story straight from the source~!”

“N-no!” Red yelped, pulling his hat down as far over his face as it would go. Shadow pouted mockingly, giving him a noogie. “You’re so mean, Shadow!”

“Fine, fine, I won’t tell them- it’ll come out soon enough!” Shadow crowed, giving him one final knuckling before pushing off and moving to stand with Green and Vio. “I guess we’ll just have to hear your boring old story instead.”

Green snorted again, shaking his head as Vio rolled his eyes. “Did you tell Red any of what we’d been up to before you left?” he asked.

“Yeah, cause he wanted to know all the gory details about what happens when you slog around in a swamp for six hours,” Shadow snickered as Red cringed. “Leeches here, leeches there, frogs in your boots-”

“They were tadpoles,” Vio interjected icily.

“-Tadpoles in your boots! Even better!”

Green laughed and moved to sit over by the fire. “Well,” he started, “it seemed like we’d be out of there by the day’s end, but once we got back to the village…”


	12. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything turns out happily ever after (for now).

The sun had just barely peeked over the horizon when Blue opened his eyes. It took him a moment- it had almost felt like they were glued together on his first attempt, and he groaned softly as he raised a hand to his face and rubbed the heel of his palm against both eyes. With that done he sat up slowly, cataloguing just how much better he felt. All his aches and pains had faded away to barely a ghost of what they had once been, although his muscles and joints were still extremely stiff.

Blue slowly lifted the flaps of his bedroll and heaved himself out, trying to make as little noise as possible. The early hour meant that he was the only one awake- even Shadow, still solid and present, was sleeping with his head on Vio’s pillow, but stretched out the opposite way. Blue frowned slightly at that, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he staggered into the bushes to relieve himself.

That done, he grabbed his sword, boots, and an extra set of clothes, and headed towards the river- days of doing nothing but lying in a bedroll and sweating through one’s clothes left one feeling pretty filthy, especially if that one happened to be Blue.

The sun rose further into the sky as he bathed, shivering a bit in the chill morning air- the river water was still cold, so he went in only to his knees at first. He was still too stiff to bend in half and dip his hair into the water, so with a grimace on his face he spread his arms and let himself fall backwards.

He came up stifling a yell- _Three,_ was that cold!!- and quickly scrubbed his fingers through his hair, detangling it as best he could and shuddering as the cold breeze hit the water beading down his sides and chest. A few more scrubs to his underarms, chest and back, and groin and he dropped himself back in to rinse off. The cold was easier to bear that time and he gritted his teeth as he waded his way back to shore and dried himself off.

His fingers were numb as he pulled his shirt and pants on, and beads of water from his damp hair trailed down his neck to wet his collar as he fumbled with his boots. He stamped a few times to fit them on properly, stretching his arms high and leaning back. It caught him entirely by surprise when his muscles trembled, sending him straight down on his butt with a stifled curse.

Blue grumbled loudly, limbs splayed out on the soft grass. It made sense that he’d be a little weaker than usual after such a severe sickness, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be angry about it. He sat up slowly, pulling his legs in until his boot heels touched, and bent to try and touch his head to the ground. The muscles between his hips and thighs screamed at him for a moment before relaxing, and he groaned. 

The sun continued onward in its path across the sky as Blue stretched his body into proper working order once more, and once every muscle had been properly attended to he stood, brushing blades of grass and other debris from his clothes. The fresh breeze across his face was no longer cold, and he grinned slightly and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of actually feeling like himself again.

His stomach chose that moment to let out a truly fearsome-sounding growl and he snorted, suddenly aware of just how little he’d eaten in the past few days. He shifted to start heading back to the campsite when a stray thought hit him, and he paused to try and catch it. Something about Red… 

The sound of shouting rose from the campsite and he grunted, the tenuous moment broken. It would come back to him, or it wouldn’t, and he could think about it then- for now, there had better be food ready when he got back or he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

~~~~

Vio was woken rather abruptly by a shake to his shoulder, and his hand flew to his sword as he opened his eyes. To his relief (and minor chagrin) it was just Red, and he sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes to remove the rest of the sleep from them. “What can I do for you?” he asked wryly.

“Blue’s gone!” Red wailed, and the slight grin that had been threatening to slip onto his face disappeared entirely.

“What do you mean?” Vio asked, climbing out of his bedroll and pulling on his boots. To his left, Blue’s bedroll indeed was empty, the top folded back precisely onto itself. He shook his head, his relief at that small sign of fussiness bringing a small smile back to his face. To his right Shadow was substituting for his own, or so he assumed- he had fallen asleep last night to the sounds of Shadow bickering with Green over something inconsequential, and as he looked Shadow moved an arm and waggled teasing fingers at him.  
“I mean he’s gone!” Red stood there with a panicked look on his face. “I looked all around- I haven’t seen him anywhere!”

“Maybe he simply went to relieve himself?” Vio shrugged. “Why don’t you start calling for him? I’ll start breakfast, he’s sure to be hungry.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to wake up Green!” Red shifted back and forth from one foot to the other, looking anxious. 

Vio snorted. “I’ll wake him. Why don’t you go double check down by the riverbank? He might have simply wanted to bathe.” Red nodded at him and darted across the clearing, and Vio shook his head again, turning his attention to the sleeping Green on the opposite side of the fire. He moved over to kneel beside the other, slowly reaching out a hand to shake Green into wakefulness.

When his hand closed around the other’s shoulder Green’s other hand snapped up to grab him by the wrist. Vio made a very undignified noise and jumped, immediately pulling back. Green refused to let go, though, opening his eyes and yawning loudly. “Is it morning already?” he asked sleepily, using his free hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes. 

“Yes,” Vio responded after a moment’s hesitation. “The sun is shining, the air is fresh, and Blue has apparently disappeared into thin air.”

Green raised his eyebrows at that, one arching even further as a yell of “Bluuuueeeee!” came from down by the river. “Sure he didn’t just go to take a leak or something?” he joked, and Vio couldn’t help but crack a grin at that.

“That was my assumption,” he agreed lightly, trying to tug his hand away and frowning a bit when Green’s grip only tightened. “I would like my hand back, please.”

Green blinked and looked over at the two interlocked hands. “Oh- well would you look at that!” His expression momentarily twisted into a devilish grin. “What if I don’t want to give it back?”

Vio’s lips flattened into a thin line. “Seeing as that is my sword hand, I would be very displeased.”

“Grumble grumble grumble,” Green mocked him lightly, expression back to his normal pleasant grin. “Lighten up, Vi, live a little!” Before Vio could react he’d planted a kiss straight in the middle of Vio’s palm, then let go and began the process of packing up for the day.

Vio tried to stifle the blush that rose to his cheeks at that, and moved over to the fire without another word.

~~~~

“Bluuuueeee!!” The call came again, this time from back towards the river, and Blue rolled his eyes a bit as he headed that way. Was Red trying to bring every monster in the forest upon himself? The thought made him grip the hilt of his sword a little tighter and move a little faster over the river rocks, and as he rounded the corner he smacked chest-first into Red, causing the other to let out a shrill “Eep!” and clap his hands over his mouth.

Blue snorted and stepped back, loosening his grip and clasping his hands behind his back. “Yell a little louder, why don’t ya?”

“Blue!” Red beamed, voice much softer, and flung his arms around the other. Blue stiffened in shock, eyes going wide, but he didn’t pull away. “You weren’t at the camp! I got really worried and came looking for you!” He pulled away, still smiling brightly, and rocked back and forth on his heels a bit. “How are you feeling?”

“Alright, I guess,” Blue shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck and turning his head a little away. That thought from before was back, digging at the back of his mind, and he frowned as he tried to pinpoint it. “Bit hungry- who’s making breakfast?”

“Vio is! He told me to come look for you and that he’d probably have it done by the time I found you!” Red looked like he was unable to keep still, the lightest bit of pink dusting his cheeks, and Blue found his gaze drawn down to the bottom lip Red was currently biting.

“Did he, now,” he said noncommittally, eyes travelling down a bit to the bit of Red’s collarbone that was exposed. He frowned a bit deeper, stepping forward. “What happened to your neck here?” he asked, brushing the small dark mark he found there with the flat of his thumb before looking up- completely taken aback as Red’s face lit up like a candle.

“U-um,” Red stuttered, not moving away from Blue’s hand. “You mean you don’t remember?”

“Why would I remember?” Blue asked in irritation, tugging Red’s collar away from his neck a bit more and eyeing the collection of bruises.

“Because…” Red squeezed his eyes shut as the backs of Blue’s knuckles brushed against his neck. “You put them there…”

Blue froze, and the thought at the back of his mind burst into the forefront with a bang. He had put them there- those and others like it, hadn’t he? What had he been thinking?! He hadn’t been thinking at all, of course not, he’d been half out of his mind with fever, but that didn’t mean that he should have forced himself onto someone! “I… I’m so sorry,” he managed to choke out, fearing to move- how could he have messed up with Red this badly?

And yet the other teen had yet to move away from him, wasn’t looking at him with disgust or fear- he was simply standing there and smiling up into Blue’s face. “I’m not,” Red said cheekily, and pressed forward into Blue’s hand as he leaned up to press his lips to Blue’s.

When he pulled away he immediately burst into giggles at Blue’s dumbfounded expression. “Bluuue, you already freaked out about it!” he grinned, still leaning deeply into Blue. “You’re not allowed to be sad about things!”

“Wh-what do you mean I’m not allowed to be sad about things?!” Blue immediately blustered. “I’ll be as sad as I want!”

Red simply giggled and kissed him again, effectively putting an end to his arguments. When he pulled away this time Blue relaxed enough to drop the hand still pressed to Red’s neck and used it to pull him right back up against him, causing Red to start laughing into his shoulder. “What’s so funny?” he grumbled, his other arm coming up to wrap around Red as well. 

“You, Blue!” Red immediately squeezed him tightly again. “I knew you were gonna do this! And like I said-” he leaned back to prod Blue in the chest with a single finger- “You’re not allowed to be sad or freak out! We talked about this already!”

Blue frowned at him. “Yeah, but I was feverish and thought I was hallucinating,” he countered.

Red, shockingly, rolled his eyes at that. “Yeah, I was there!” He squeezed Blue tightly again. “No one’s going to laugh at you, especially not Vio,” he said in a softer tone, and Blue flinched in the embrace. “I told you! Vio likes Shadow, why would he laugh at you liking me?”

“What do you mean Vio likes Shadow?” Blue frowned into Red’s hair, pieces of evidence fitting together in his mind. “Was that why Shadow was sleeping on Vio’s pillow when I woke up?” Red nodded, and Blue gave a reluctant huff of laughter. “Serves him right- both of them, they’re so insufferable they deserve each other.”

“Don’t be mean, Blue!” Red smacked his shoulder blade with a palm. “I think it’s cute! And also sad…” Blue’s stomach chose that moment to give another angry rumble and Red laughed. “Come on, Blue, let’s get you some proper food!” He went to pull away but Blue stubbornly hung on. “It’s gonna be alright, Blue,” he murmured, voice gentle as he rocked Blue back and forth a little. “Hold my hand as we go back?”

Blue finally loosened his grasp on the other blond, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. “Do I have to?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

Red put his hands on his hips. “Yes you do, Blue! You have to hold my hand on the way back, and now you have to let me brush your hair when we get there!”

“Wait, what?” Blue immediately backpedaled, and Red laughed loudly.

“If you complain any more then I get to sit on your lap while we eat breakfast!” he mock threatened, and Blue immediately raised his hands in surrender before grabbing one of Red’s.

“Fine, fine! Let’s just go then, before my stomach actually eats itself,” he grumbled, and tried not to feel too pleased when Red beamed at him once more.

~~~~

Breakfast was a quiet and pleasant affair- true to his threat Red pulled out a brush after he had finished his bowl and immediately set to work on Blue’s tangled hair. Walking into camp holding hands with Red had garnered nothing more than an amused nod from Vio and a “Finally!” from Green, which had resulted in the two wrestling back and forth across the campsite before Vio had called a halt to their shenanigans.

It was easy to relax, and Blue took full advantage of the down time, his body protesting the strenuous exercise after such a long time. Red’s hands were deft and gentle as he wielded first a comb, then the brush itself through the matted locks, and the soft sounds of campsite maintenance added to the enjoyable atmosphere. Vio had flatly refused his offers to help clean, telling him that he’d need his strength for the ride back to the village to return the horses.

They had agreed to head back to Castle Town and Princess Zelda after that, Green laying out the events of the past few days as they ate around the burned-down embers of the fire. It was vital that they inform her as soon as possible so plans could be made for Hyrule’s safety. “And besides, she’s gotta be told about recent developments over here, too,” Green had joked, waggling his eyebrows at Blue, who had nearly jumped up from his seat to punch him before Vio, to everyone’s surprise, did it for him.

Blue smirked at the memory- Green had looked so shocked, his mouth hanging wide open, and Vio had merely given him a stern look before collecting everyone’s bowls to wash. He opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching him, and Vio dropped his pack in front of him. “Everything’s all set,” he stated. “We should get moving so we can reach the town by nightfall. It would be unwise to delay getting this news to the Princess.”

“Just a second, Vio,” Red called from behind his head. “I’m almost done- ah, there we go!” He set the brush down and ran his fingers through Blue’s hair, fluffing it up and ensuring there were no tangles. “Perfect!”

Vio actually smiled at that, looking from Red to Blue, and the latter stiffened uncomfortably. He blinked in surprise as Vio’s hand shot out to flick him in the forehead, and then made a noise of outrage. “You two will do well together,” he said simply, moving away to pick up his own pack and check that the fire was completely extinguished.

Red leaned around while Vio’s back was turned and pecked Blue on the cheek with a smile. “Ready to go?” he grinned, leaping over the log easily and turning to stretch out a hand to Blue. Sunlight shone warmly down upon them, the breeze gently moving Red’s bangs across his forehead, and Blue glanced down at the outstretched hand that looked like a promise.

And as Blue stood up, slung his pack onto his back and walked forward to take Red’s hand, he let himself smile back. “Let’s go.”


End file.
